Seeking God; July 21, 2021

Posted on July 24, 2021 by jgarrott

Jeremiah 29:13 “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Jeremiah was tasked by God with bringing messages of condemnation and destruction and also incredible and glorious hope. This verse brings to mind the Beatles song, My Sweet Lord. In a number of ways it’s a heartbreaking song, because they were looking for peace, satisfaction, and enlightenment in all the wrong places. I have wondered many times what would have happened if someone, almost anyone, had exercised the courage to express the Gospel to them in terms they could understand. Part of the problem was that, growing up in nominally Christian England, they associated the God of the Bible with all sorts of negative things and so were ripe picking for the lies of the devil. I can’t help but think what a difference it would have made if their phenomenal talent had been committed to the true Lord, and not to the fantasy they chased. There is no hope in Hinduism! The Creator of the universe wants to be found by His children, but we are so prone to be led around by our flesh and seek gratification for it, rather than seeking our Creator. As it so famously says in verse 11, God’s plans for us are good, but we’ve got to choose them rather than our own fantasies. It really does all come down to choices. Will we seek God, His kingdom and His righteousness, or will we seek the glitter of the world and our flesh? Every human being is faced with that choice, and some are given the opportunity to choose many times, but we never know when the last chance will be. Seeking God should be what is called a “no-brainer,” but the devil does all he can to turn off our brains, all the time telling us that is the way of wisdom!

I cannot overstate the blessing I received to be raised in a home of faith and obedience to God. I encounter many other Missionary Kids through Facebook, and some of them are like me and some have more or less completely given up on Christian faith. I have read some horrifying tales of things that were done by some missionaries, and just in recent years have learned of some that happened close to me, but that I was mercifully unaware of. We all walk different roads and none are completely straight and level, but the question isn’t what happens to us, but how we respond to it. I have learned the truth of this verse written by Jeremiah under God’s direction, and I seek to communicate it to all who will receive it. The tragedy is that so few do. However, I am never to give up, but keep speaking the truth in love, whether people seem to be listening or not.

Father, the challenges of ministering in Japan are immense, but truly nothing is impossible for You, and in Christ I can do everything You ask of me. Help me truly hold nothing back in seeking You and loving You, so that all of Your gracious plans for me may indeed be fulfilled, on Your schedule and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Consequences; July 20, 2021

Posted on July 24, 2021 by jgarrott

Jeremiah 7:19 “But am I the one they are provoking? declares the Lord. Are they not rather harming themselves, to their own shame?”

This whole passage is very interesting. Verse 16 is the rather infamous command to Jeremiah not to pray for the people of Judah. Jeremiah received that command twice, here and in 11:14. God seldom gives such a command, but these were very special circumstances. It is also remarkable to me that the specific idolatry listed here is worship of “the Queen of Heaven,” when that is one of the titles the Catholics use for Mary! This was in all probability the fertility goddess called Asherah. It’s very ironic that her idol was a pole, a phallic symbol! I know that official Catholic doctrine is that Mary is never to be worshiped, but only “highly venerated,” but titles such as this are dangerous to say the very least. All of that brings us to this verse, which to me straightens out my thinking about all the times of judgment on the descendants of Abraham. God is here saying, very clearly, that the people were doing this to themselves. We come back to the reality that every one of God’s commands is for our good, not His. It’s really no skin off of His nose if we obey Him or not, but the consequences to us are huge. Any parent will tell you that it grieves them to see their children do things that bring harm on themselves. God is exactly the same way. God told Jeremiah not to pray for the people because He knew they would have to taste the full consequences of their actions before they would learn their lesson and stop doing them. Bill Whittle and others are saying the same thing about some of the socialist policies that are being attempted in the US today: people will have to taste the consequences before they will understand how stupid and wrong they are.

God has occasionally let me taste the consequences of my actions, but in general He has been incredibly gracious. I have certainly had no valid excuses for any of my sins! I have known for a long time that all of God’s commands were for my good, but I’ve still been stupid enough at times to listen to the very persuasive liar who is out to steal, kill, and destroy. (John 10:10) Recognizing my own weakness, I am to be gracious toward those around me, but never fail to speak the truth in love. Failing to warn people when they are headed for destruction is hardly loving! I certainly hope that I am never told to stop praying (by God anyway) for people.

Father, thank You for this Word. Thank You for the Bible as a record of how You have dealt with Your children down through the centuries. It really feels like things are drawing to a culmination. May I be sensitive and obedient to You for however You want to use me, whether these are indeed the Last Days or not, so that Your will may be done on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Trouble; July 19, 2021

Posted on July 22, 2021 by jgarrott

Isaiah 65:10 “Sharon will become a pasture for flocks, and the Valley of Achor a resting place for herds, for my people who seek me.”

We don’t usually think of Isaiah as a judgmental prophet, but this chapter doesn’t make for easy reading! However, here we start getting a glimpse of hope (that actually starts with verse eight). The reference here to the Valley of Achor is interesting. This is the place, in Joshua 7, where Achan, his family and his possessions were stoned, incinerated, and covered with a pile of stones, because he had taken some of the plunder from Jericho that God had forbidden, and Israel suffered defeat at Ai as a result. Just about every Bible has a footnote on Joshua 7:26 informing the reader that “Achor means trouble.” All of that took place hundreds of years before Isaiah wrote this, but the place name had remained. The point, here in Isaiah, is that for those who seek God, the place of trouble becomes a place of peace and blessing. We indeed live in a fallen world, and we too are prone to get caught up in the practices of those around us. Jesus was very clear that “In this world you will have trouble.” (John 16:33) When that happens, the first step is to examine our own heart and life, to see if we brought the trouble on ourselves through action or inaction. If that is the case, then immediate repentance is essential. The next step, whether repentance is called for or not, is to actively submit our circumstances to God, for Him to make of them what He chooses. That is seeking God, and when we are faithful to do that, our place of trouble becomes a place of blessing. We need to remember that when Jesus told us so bluntly that we would have trouble, He followed that up with, “But take heart! I have overcome the world,” and all of that was after He had said, “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace.” Trouble is just an indicator to seek God and be at peace in Him.

I have come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as a trouble-free existence. As I quoted recently, the Lord personally told John Voight that life isn’t supposed to be easy! That doesn’t keep my flesh from always seeking the easy way out, however. I get tied in knots over things just like everyone else, but I have less excuse than most. I have known from infancy that God is, that He is love, and that He is holy. That knowledge should have kept me straight all the time, but it hasn’t. (And no, there’s no gender reference in that statement.) I have wandered from the path in various ways, and a good bit of the trouble I have experienced has been of my own doing. At this point I certainly don’t expect over 20 more years in this world, and I will doubtless have trouble in that interval. The point is not to bemoan the trouble, but rather repent as called for and seek God regardless. I am very aware of God being at work all around me, both in my personal life and in the wider world. I am to look forward to the eventual outcome, no matter how unpleasant the immediate process might be. That’s not to say I’m to be passive. On the contrary, I am to be active in my seeking and my obedience, so that every trick of the devil may be turned around for good. I see that in the wider world all the time recently, with forces of evil being so outrageous that the evil is totally exposed, and people waking up and rising up to oppose it. I need to remember that Romans 8:28 is true all the time!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all that You did yesterday right here. I do ask for clear guidance for what we are to do each day, so that in all things Your purposes may be accomplished on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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God’s Unlimited Love; July 18, 2021

Posted on July 22, 2021 by jgarrott

Isaiah 56:7 “These I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”

This is an enormously important Scripture that Jesus Himself quoted when He drove the merchants out of the Court of the Gentiles in the temple in Jerusalem. (Mark 11:17) It is important because we human beings have a nasty tendency toward xenophobia and discrimination. That comes from being self-centered and from thinking that life, and God, is a “zero-sum game,” that is, that if someone else has more, that means I have less. We have such trouble grasping that God is infinite and we live in an expanding universe. We wouldn’t have any trouble with this if we understood love in the first place. Parents quickly discover that as they have more children, loving the second child doesn’t mean they love the first one less, it simply multiplies the love. Love is never a zero-sum game, and God Himself is love. (1 John 4:8) We exclude others because we don’t grasp that God’s supply of love, and for that matter, all His other resources, is unlimited. This is a powerful basis for unity, but the devil is dead set against our having the unity that God desires for us. (John 17:20-21) Right now in many places around the world, certainly including the US, there are people actively engaged in the politics of division, dividing so that they may conquer. All who know God must stand firm against that, proclaiming that God’s house is for all nations and people-groups.

This is something we deal with constantly, as Caucasians ministering in Japan. We have the additional challenge of dealing with missionaries from other Asian nations, whose culture is neither American nor Japanese. Frankly, friction is common. However, God allows that friction specifically to wear down our rough spots, and to teach us that His love and His plans are greater than we can imagine. We have a neighborhood outreach barbecue planned for the 25th, and with four cultures represented, the lessons can be pretty intense. I am discovering that my heart isn’t nearly as big as I thought it was! I need to recognize, on the deepest level, that our very differences are things that God is going to use to expand His family, His kingdom. I need to be energized by the expectation of God doing good things, and allow Him to pour His love and grace through me, so that I won’t get in the way of what He is doing.

Father, thank You for this very timely Word. Thank You for getting me through the video conference last night, and for what You have planned for today as well. I don’t enjoy planning, and the very need for it is stressful for me. Help me rest, relax, and rejoice in You, in all that goes on today, throughout this week, and in every detail of the 25th and what follows from it. Help me indeed expect great things of You and offer myself to You without reservation, so that Your will may be done on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Suffering; July 17, 2021

Posted on July 21, 2021 by jgarrott

Isaiah 53:10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.

Isaiah 53 is one of the “superstar” chapters of the Bible. I’ve lost track of how many testimonies I’ve heard of Jews who came to realize that Jesus was indeed their promised Messiah through reading this chapter. Verse 6 is one I memorized as a young boy, and I’m glad I did. Every line of it is deeply meaningful. The reason this verse stands out to me right now is a very unexpected testimony I was able to hear over the Internet yesterday. John Voight was being interviewed by Tucker Carlson, and it was expected to be about political themes. Instead, John shared at some length about an encounter he had with the Lord that has massively shaped his life ever since. He was going through a very difficult time in his life, having recently been divorced, and he was thinking, “It’s so hard!” Out of the blue he heard God speak to him very clearly: “It isn’t supposed to be easy.” That brief encounter gave him the deep revelation that God cares, He’s interested and He’s paying attention. He said that awareness gave him a joy that has stayed with him ever since. To me that agrees perfectly with this verse. It was God’s intention and plan that Jesus suffer so horribly for us, just as is so graphically portrayed in the movie, The Passion. In the same way, God plans difficulties, even suffering, in our lives for specific purposes, stretching and growing us to be more and more accurate representatives for Him, expressing His grace and love to the world. It doesn’t feel like love at the moment, but it is. It’s like it says in Hebrews: “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:11) We are to rejoice that God cares, and look forward to the eventual outcome.

John Voight’s experience certainly reminds me of my own, when I was thinking over a lot of things and thinking, “There are so many things I wish were different!” Just as happened with John, suddenly I heard the Lord say to me, “How do you think I feel?” That gave me the deep and abiding conviction that much of what is going on in the world isn’t what God wants to happen, but He’s still in control and it will all work out in the end. Having God speak to you personally is certainly a life-changing experience! God doesn’t desire to bring suffering into my life, but sometimes that’s what I need, maybe for myself and maybe to equip me to minister to someone else. When Jesus went through so much to secure my salvation, why should I complain about the little I have to go through?

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for what You said to and through me the other evening, when I commented that with all that the believers in China and Hong Kong are going through right now, I have no room to complain about my trivial difficulties! Help me keep that truth in focus and indeed rest, relax, and rejoice in You, just as You have told me to do, accomplishing Your will on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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God’s Invitation; July 16, 2021

Posted on July 18, 2021 by jgarrott

Isaiah 45:22 “Turn to me and be saved,
all you ends of the earth;
for I am God, and there is no other.

Throughout the Bible we find statements of this sort, yet the devil’s lie is that God is exclusionary and discriminatory. God worked with Abraham and his descendants because He needed to start somewhere, but His love is for His whole creation. The devil has carefully fostered hatred for the descendants of Abraham, but every “justification” of such antisemitism is based on a lie. The Jews certainly have a unique place in history and in God’s plan, but both they and Gentiles have generally misunderstood it. Whether we’re talking about the Jews or the Church, God’s people are those who are obedient to Him to call others to Him. This verse expresses in the simplest terms what God wants communicated to all mankind. Sadly, not all will accept this message, but that in no way invalidates either the message or our opportunity and responsibility to communicate it.

As a missionary in Japan, I obviously take this seriously, but I will confess to burnout, because so few receive the invitation. I cannot force anyone to accept the message, or even really listen to it, but I can give them the opportunity. As Paul said, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” (Romans 10:14) I joke that if you don’t believe I’m a preacher, then listen to me for five minutes! Even so, if it’s just my words there is no power. I can talk people’s ears off, but unless the Holy Spirit touches their hearts, nothing changes. That said, God does use “the foolishness of preaching” (1 Corinthians 1:21 KJV) to save people. I’ve got to be faithful to speak, but I’ve also got to be faithful to live a life congruent with the truth I proclaim, and I’ve got to remember that I am never more than an instrument of God’s salvation. God has already told me His solution to burnout: rest, relax, rejoice. I am not to be lazy or hesitant, but I am never to think that my strength or ability can accomplish anything worthwhile apart from God. We are planning an evangelistic barbecue party for later this month. There is great potential, but we have to listen to what God wants us to do and not run off on our own. We are to express what God says in this verse, using His words and His actions, so that people will indeed turn to Him and be saved.

Father, Your Word is very clear, but human factors seem to make it all very complicated. I ask You to straighten out the communication among all those involved in the project ahead of us so that it will all be fully owned by all the believers, so that the end result will be growth in the Body of Christ on all levels, in numbers and in love and in maturity, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Idolatry; July 15, 2021

Posted on July 18, 2021 by jgarrott

Isaiah 44:17 From the rest he makes a god, his idol;
he bows down to it and worships.
He prays to it and says,
“Save me; you are my god.”

Just recently Bill Whittle and Alfonzo Rachel had an episode of The Virtue Signal in which they discussed ridicule as the most effective weapon against absurd ideas. This whole section is an absolutely superb example of that. Idolatry is certainly absurd from start to finish, just as Isaiah points out, but people do it anyway. We are all born with an innate impulse to seek our Creator, which is hardly surprising since we were created for fellowship with Him. Solomon expressed that as, “He has also set eternity in the hearts of men.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11) However, between human pride and the devil’s lies, that often gets totally sidetracked. In “advanced” societies today idols of wood, metal, or stone are hardly in vogue, but that certainly doesn’t mean idolatry has diminished. It’s no accident that entertainment figures are called “idols!” We want something over which we feel we have some control, so we run away from our Creator, over whom we obviously have no control. The absolute stupidity of that is beyond words to express, which is why Isaiah went into this extended discussion of how idols are made. Today, people turn to “science” or political systems, treating them as religions. As has been pointed out by several people, those who keep saying, “Follow the science,” don’t mean that, because the actual scientific method is fundamentally skeptical, always testing and never “settled.” Various political systems have their advantages, but what we are seeing today has left the realm of logic and reason and has entered the realm of religion. North Korea and China are painful examples today of what happens when the State (and its leaders) insist that they alone are to be worshiped. Ridicule is about all we have left in the face of such absurdity! Idolatry in any guise is a totally stupid dedication to ultimate destruction.

I can pontificate on this at length, but I have not been immune to it myself. For a distinct period in my life I essentially worshiped my own intellect, which is about as ironic as they come, because it demonstrates total stupidity! I grew up in a land of many stone, wood and metal idols, and failed to realize that placing anything other than my Creator on the throne of my heart was idolatry. I felt superior to all the idolaters around me, since I knew the Bible, but that didn’t mean I was being obedient to the Bible! I shake my head at Japanese who practice both Buddhist and Shinto rituals, totally ignoring the glaring contradictions between those religions, but I myself claim to believe the Bible and yet fail to live it out consistently. I am to speak the truth in love, never forgetting that the grace that I proclaim is as essential to me as it is to my hearers. I need to be on constant guard that nothing comes ahead of God in my allegiance, that He alone is the final arbiter of all my decisions. Intangible idols are just as dangerous as physical ones, if not more so.

Father, thank You for this clear Word, and for how You work everything together so beautifully. Thank You for how that video meshed with this morning’s reading. Help me listen to You obediently at all times, however You choose to speak to me, so that I may be the obedient child, servant, You desire and deserve, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Prophecy; July 14, 2021

Posted on July 17, 2021 by jgarrott

Isaiah 38:1 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”

Two things are very interesting about this. The first is something we don’t like to accept, and that is that everyone deals with disease and death. Hezekiah had been an exemplary king to this point, but he was still human, living in this fallen world. The second is what immediately follows this statement by Isaiah: God seems to change His mind on the basis of Hezekiah’s earnest entreaty, promising him 15 more years as well as deliverance from Assyria. From one standpoint that seems very strange, because God sees all of time at a glance, so He knew exactly what was going to happen. However, doing things this way, Hezekiah himself was blessed with a further demonstration of God’s individual concern and love for him, and he wrote a beautiful song of testimony and praise (verses 10-29) that has blessed all who have read it in the centuries since then. We are faced with a logical problem here: did God lie through Isaiah, having him tell Hezekiah he wouldn’t recover? That would seem to be an impossibility. We are left with the idea, actually reinforced countless times throughout the Bible, that prophecy is conditional; if the response is correct, the prophesied thing won’t happen. That is famously true in the story of Jonah, who was totally bent out of shape that his prophecy of the destruction of Nineveh wasn’t fulfilled, because the people had repented. Prophecy is often a warning: straighten up or this will happen. Conversely, prophecies of blessing are also conditional, because if we take it all for granted and ignore God, those blessings evaporate. When we seek God we need to receive all that He says to us, and not go astray because of a partial understanding.

I have received a few prophecies, and I have actually delivered more. Since no genuine prophecy originates with man, (2 Peter 1:20-21) we need to rely on the Holy Spirit for the interpretation. We need to receive the words, and we need to let the Lord show us all that they mean. Sometimes that takes many years, as the Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament illustrate. We aren’t to discard prophecy or take it lightly, (1 Thessalonians 5:20) but rather thank God for it and ask Him to show us how to apply it in our lives. I have a couple of prophecies about me written down, including one that I myself spoke, that have been a comfort and encouragement to me over the years, but I am to keep myself available and obedient so that they may be fulfilled in God’s time.

Father, thank You for prophecy. The subject came up in conversation just yesterday, and I was reminded that I have prophesied very little in this church, but almost exclusively when I was visiting other churches. Help me be available for whatever You want to say whenever, however, and wherever You want to say it, and help me receive whatever You say to me as well, whatever the circumstances. May Your will be done indeed, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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The Zeal of the Lord; July 13, 2021

Posted on July 17, 2021 by jgarrott

Isaiah 37:32 For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant,
and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.

This phrase, “the zeal of the Lord,” appears repeatedly in Isaiah, most memorably in 9:7 in talking about Christ’s eternal kingdom. In Japanese, “zeal” is written very descriptively as “hot heart.” We don’t often think of God in those terms, but Isaiah had the sort of relationship with the Lord that enabled him to sense God’s passion for His people. It is dangerous to anthropomorphize God too much, that is, describe Him and think of Him as simply a glorified human being, but at the same time we need to remember that we are made in His image, (Genesis 1:27) so we get some of our characteristics from Him. There are many things about God that are beyond the power of human intellect to grasp, because God is infinite and we are clearly finite, and He is outside of time, having created the physical universe on which time depends, and we are created beings in the flow of time. However, God very graciously reveals things about Himself that we could never grasp on our own. Of course the greatest of those is His love, which is so incredibly magnificent that it caused Him to send His Son to die in the place of those who would believe in Him. That gives us real insight into His zeal, because it took a “hot heart” indeed to cause Him to do that. We can’t contain the entirety of His love, His zeal, but we can have the incredible privilege of being channels, instruments of that love, that zeal. God’s love will stop at nothing! From our perspective we often fail to recognize His love for what it is, so we need to ask Him to open our spiritual eyes to recognize it, and rejoice as He does so.

At this point in my life it is a temptation to succumb to the apathy that comes from burnout, but that is a lying trick of the devil. God’s love certainly hasn’t changed, and I must never forget that. The problem comes in my creating scenarios in my mind of what God’s zeal is going to do, and when things don’t happen that way I am deflated. In a way that is very good, because the last thing I need is to be puffed up! The antidote is genuine intimacy with my Lord, allowing Him to fill me with His Spirit so that I may grasp things about Him that I can’t understand with my mind. I am reminded of something I always discuss with couples before I do their wedding. Intimacy is of course a major topic for newlyweds, but we are too prone to box it in to the physical. I point out to couples that spiritual, emotional intimacy is far more important that the merely physical. I warn them that if they don’t cultivate and maintain heart intimacy, they will tire for the physical, and too often that leads to infidelity. However, when the heart intimacy is there, the whole package maintains its luster. I think one reason God created us male and female was so that we could taste His passion for us. I certainly wouldn’t say He is a sexual being, and talking like this can get confusing, since the devil has done so much to “dirty up” physical intimacy, but the New Testament speaks very clearly of the Church as the Bride of Christ, so we need to let the Holy Spirit straighten out our thinking.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I remember using Isaiah 9:7 in a dramatic reading I did for a speech class in college. I knew so little about Your zeal then! Help me indeed be an open conduit for Your zeal, however You want to use me, so that Your will may be done in and through me for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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The Only God; July 12, 2021

Posted on July 14, 2021 by jgarrott

Isaiah 37:20 “Now, O Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O Lord, are God. “

Once again we have a record of Hezekiah’s focus and faith. He in no way disputed the historical facts of Sennacherib’s message, but he disagreed completely with the fundamental premise. As noted yesterday, Assyria had the mightiest military force in the known world of the day, and they did essentially whatever they liked. Hezekiah’s point was, now they had come up against the Creator of the universe, and no human force could conquer Him. That’s something we need to remember! We aren’t to confuse human structures and organizations with God, however. As Jesus said, the gates of hell cannot withstand His Church, but that doesn’t mean that individual churches can’t fail. It is when we are walking in step with Him, and only then, that His power operates through us. As a very pointed, present-day example, the devil realizes that he can’t destroy the US as long as it is adhering to the Biblical principles on which it was founded, so he has attacked its spiritual and moral foundation, and sadly, has made major headway at that. The biggest dangers aren’t China, Iran, and Russia, but politicians and judges who attack people’s right to live by Biblical principles. America may have the world’s best military technology, but that is meaningless if Biblical principles aren’t being adhered to. We need leadership that will pray as Hezekiah did, and we need churches that will stand up as the Church of Jesus Christ indeed, recognizing and standing against the lies of the devil that have flooded us in the past century or more.

Obviously, I have no trouble finding a soapbox to stand on when it comes to this topic, but I’ve got to apply it close to home as well. I am to speak the truth in love to all who will receive it, but I’ve also got to live it out in my own life. My priorities need to line up with God’s kingdom and His righteousness! I don’t have major human forces arrayed against me the way Hezekiah did, but I still have the same fundamental enemy, who comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. (John 10:10) I cannot let down my guard, but at the same time I’m not to be anxious, because the Lord I serve is totally trustworthy. Even if He leads me into martyrdom, I know that my reward on the far side of that will be indescribably glorious. In a way it would be easier if physical martyrdom were what I faced, because the subtle attacks on faith and obedience can actually be more dangerous. I am to be strong in my Lord, fully submitted and obedient to Him, so that those who are watching me – and there are quite a few – may know that He is real, and seek Him for themselves.

Father, thank You for this strong reminder. Thank You for being God, in the world at large and specifically in my life. May I be fully submitted and obedient to You indeed, just as You have told me to rest, relax, and rejoice, so that all of Your purposes for me may be fulfilled on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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