The Privilege of Persecution

Seldom am I as touched and energized by a book as I have been by The Privilege of Persecution by Dr. Carl A. Moeller and David W. Hegg with Craig Hodgkins. This is not an easy-reading, light-and-fluffy escape book; it is an in-your-face and piercing-through-your-heart challenge that will motivate you to a greater commitment to prayer and sacrificial living, as well as a deeper understanding of the Body of Christ.

Thank God for those who are already living such sacrificial lives--and may the rest of us wake up to our true purpose as the Church and join with them while we still have breath and time. I strongly encourage you to get this book for yourself and one for someone else. The time is short, beloved, and we mustn't waste what we have left. Please do a cut-and-paste of the link below and check out this excellent book, will you?

https://secure2.convio.net/ccod/site/Ecommerce/296344083?VIEW_PRODUCT=true&product_id=3681&store_id=1901

In God We Still Trust!

In a day when Christian bashing and even outright persecution is on the rise around the world and patriotism is considered "politically incorrect," Stacie Ruth and Carrie Beth Stoelting have taken a strong stand for both. Here is the quote from the inside of their beautiful new album:

In God We Still Trust captures patriotism, faith, and freedom. Recorded at the Gaither Studios, Stacie Ruth and Carrie Beth appear as new leaders of the post-9-11 generation. Their three octave ranges combined with their passion for Christ motivate audiences to move forward in faith. With powerful, heart-stirring songs, In God We Still Trust will make you feel proud to be an American like never before! Available at various stores and www.unitetheusa.org and www.brightlightministry.com.

What Is Your Custom?

[Daniel] knelt down on his knees three times that day,
and prayed and gave thanks before his God,
as was his custom since early days (Daniel 6:10).

My most recent releases all have to do with people who pay a price for their faith. Much of the feedback I get from many readers is that the stories inspire them but also cause them to examine their own faith and question if they too would be as faithful under pressure. It’s a question worth examining.
As the writer of those stories, I can tell you I questioned myself and my own walk with God many times in the process of creating and completing those novels. What would I do under similar circumstances? Of course I would have to depend completely on God’s strength and not my own, but would I know how to do that? The answer comes not so much in what we do when already in those situations, but rather what we do before we end up there.
Daniel’s example is the perfect one. When he heard the decree that anyone who worshiped any god or person other than King Darius would be cast into the lions’ den, the Scriptures tell us that Daniel immediately “knelt down on his knees…and prayed and gave thanks before his God.” Daniel didn’t hesitate to worship God, despite the very real possibility that he would be thrown to the lions—which, of course, he was. How was he so unshakeable in his faith that he didn’t even consider other options? The answer is in the last part of that verse: “…as was his custom since early days.” Daniel didn’t wait until the threat arrived on his doorstep to seek God; he was already in the habit of doing so. He regularly worshiped God and presented his petitions to Him, and he had no intention of changing that custom because of changing circumstances.
We live in a time when our own circumstances are changing and may very well continue to do so to the point that we too will have to make a decision about continuing to worship God, regardless of consequences. The only way we will remain faithful then is if we have already developed the habit or custom of seeking God regularly. If we haven’t done so, now is the time to cultivate that practice. At the end of my life, I want to be found faithful…don’t you?

Let the Faithful One Carry You!

If we are faithless, He remains faithful (2 Timothy 2:13, NKJV).

I’m a longtime supporter of Voice of the Martyrs and other such ministries. No doubt that connection fed my desire to write the Extreme Devotion fiction series, four novels loosely based on real-life events and individuals in other countries. As a result, when I hear others express their uncertainty and concern over how they would stand up under serious testing or persecution for their faith, I can reassure them by sharing what I’ve learned.
I too, particularly when I was a new Christian and just learning about what some believers endure for their faith, was apprehensive at what my response might be in such a situation. All I could focus on was my own feeble strength. But as my study of persecuted believers and Christian martyrs continued, I came to see a common thread in their lives—and deaths. None relied on his or her own strength. All recognized their frailties and weaknesses and instead clung to God’s strength and faithfulness to get them through.
I love that, don’t you? If I saw persecution on the horizon and knew I had to walk into it on my own, I’d probably just give up right now. But to know that the God who remains faithful, despite my own faithlessness, stands ready and eager to carry me through it enables me to sing with joy as the flames grow hot around me.
It doesn’t have to be a life-or-death choice that causes us to recognize our need to cling to the faithful One. We learn that reliance in the everyday choices of life. Will we compromise a biblical mandate for convenience…or throw ourselves on God’s mercy and ask for a changed heart to do the right thing? Will we deny Christ to impress the world…or willingly allow God’s Spirit to woo us into making the right choice?
It’s the little choices for righteousness that teach us to rely on God when the big decisions loom—and they will! Now is the time to put into practice the belief that even when “we are faithless, He remains faithful.” He will not leave or forsake us; He will carry us through to victory if we will climb into His arms and allow Him to do so.