Thank Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for your selfless effort to unite a nation by our character and not by our color. I have a white dad and a black mom, so I would not technically be alive if it you weren’t for you.
I look forward to personally thanking you someday up there….
I was startled when my dad told me around the dinner table the other night that Pastor Youcef was released from prison. I had to look it up for myself.
Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani has been freed from prison, following his most recent arrest in Iran. After spending three years in prison for apostacy, Pastor Youcef was freed in early last year September. He was re-arrested on Christmas Day on the charge by Iranian authorities that Youcef needed to complete his remaining 45 days of prison time. (See more on Christmas Tragedies)
Actually, according the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), the Iran pastor was released 11 days ago.
Since 2009, Pastor Youcef has been under arrest under charges of apostacy. During his imprisonment, he was then sentenced to death for converting Muslims to Christianity. Over his imprisonment, he has been taken on and off death row due to the overwhelming international outcry for the pastor’s release.
I hope you all can rejoice with me over Pastor Youcef’s release. We do need to pray for the pastor’s lawyer whom has been recently placed under arrest for advocating for Pastor Youcef.
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Happy New Year! Great verse for the resolution’s list:
Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13, 14 NKJV)
Run towards glorifying Christ in everything you do. Forget the past. Press forward! Greater things are still to be done. Live for what Christ has planned for your life to experience.
Go! Chase His Heart!
I’m praying for you to achieve!
Every year is a hope for a better future. For us who are God’s children, every year is the hope for the best future to come! The return of Jesus!
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. (I Thessalonians 4:16, 17 NKJV)
One day, maybe even today at the eve of a new year, we will see Him breaking out of the sky in radiant glory. There all our sadness that glued us to mourning and hopelessness will fade as we open our eyes in a brilliant joy that will outweigh all excitement this world had ever or could ever muster.
We will rise when He calls us. The world and all its sorrows will look strangely dim to us, as depart from it to join Jesus Who will lead us to place He has prepared for us.*
And we will be with Jesus! Insecurity is be swallowed by eternal security. Doubt is shadowed by everlasting hope. Darkness is hidden by the Light of Jesus, for There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light.(Revelation 22:5 NKJV)
He will wipe every tear from our eyes “because the former troubles are forgotten….they are hidden from [our] eyes” Isaiah 65:16 NKJV).
“There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4 NKJV) All the things that once troubled us and weighed us with sigh and concern will be erased, leaving behind only the memories that lighten our hearts to the greatness of our great God.
Then as the it has been foretold in the Word of God, we will altogether cry in joyful praise and celebrate, singing this song to the Lamb:
“Great and marvelous are Your works,Lord God Almighty!
Just and true are Your ways,
O King of the saints! ” **
2013 sounds great and promising, but THE BEST IS STILL YET COME!
So honestly I want to go Home! So if Jesus can today, I’m hoping in the best future I can ever enjoy!
HAPPY NEW YEAR! I HOPE THIS YEAR WILL BE THE YEAR THAT JESUS COMES BACK!
LET’S BE READY FOR HIM!
*Luke 14:1-4 NKJV: “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.”
**Revelation 15:3
Christmas is a joy in itself. Ultimately, we joy in the gift of a Savior who is Christ Jesus coming to earth to save us from the consequence of our sins against God and restore true, eternal peace. We also delight in joyful memories that are produced around loved ones as we gather together to celebrate Christ’s birth.
But while we sang glad songs to our Messiah, across the sea many shed great tears of tragedy.
Nigeria
Early Christmas morning, 12 Christians were killed by gunmen. These killings occurred during open attacks against the Christian community that included raids upon two churches and in numerous Christian homes. While the assailants have yet to be confirmed, the BBC strongly believes it to be none other than the aggressive Islamic terrorist group, Boko Haram that has claimed the lives of over 700 Christians in 2012.
Boko Haram is devoted to convert the entire nation of Nigeria into an Islamic state and since beginning of this year has demanded every Christian to leave the country. Last Christmas, Boko Haram massacred 44 believers.
Iran
We all rejoiced in September when we received the news of Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani’s release from prison. On Christmas Day Pastor Nadarkhani was rearrested by Iranian authorities. According to the Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), Pastor Nadarkhani has to complete the remainder of his time in prison (45 days) and finish uncompleted paperwork.
Since October 2009, Pastor Nadarkhani has been detained in prison without bail for his protest against his children being taught the Qur’an in school. Later on, Iranian authorities also charged Pastor Nardarkhani with apostasy and converting Muslims which is illegal in Iran.
During his time in prison, Pastor Nadarkhani has suffered aggressive persuasion to recant his faith and also had been sentenced to be executed on several occasions that were continually dropped because of the overwhelmingly outcry by the international community on Pastor Nadarkhani’s behalf.
WHAT GOD DID
While here on earth, Jesus did promise to those who would testify of Him, will suffer persecution. In fact Jesus said,
“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you” (John 15:18-19 NKJV).
As followers of Jesus, being persecuted is part of what it means to belong to Christ. Paul made this evident to us in Philippians 1:29: “For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.”
God sees our brothers and sisters suffering for His cause. We should honor their work to proclaim Christ, and God has stored great eternal rewards for their exchange to risk their lives to expand God’s kingdom.
WHAT WE CAN DO
1. PRAY
>These people are suffering at the hands of sinful, depraved people who are plagued by Satan’s hatred for God’s people. We hate their sin, but desire that these sinners be reconciled to God. We need to PRAY that God save them.
>PRAY for the peace of Nigeria from all the mass genocides, especially the attacks against Christians.
>PRAY for Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani’s immediate release. God got out once. He can do it again. Also PRAY for him to remain unharmed while detained and for strength for his family.
2. PUBLICIZE
The social media is a very powerful tool of influence today. Get the word across – wherever, however – telling the world, we don’t tolerate these social injustices.
Feel free to repost this blog for the purpose of promoting public awareness of these social injustices.
What you won’t see in someone taking their life: taking their life in front of someone they sincerely love.
They won’t do it.
Because two things.
(1) They are too (honestly) selfish to value the feelings of those who actually really, really do care about them. (2) And they are too proud to tell them what is burdening them to the extent that they want to take their life.
It is selfish to assume that no one on the entire earth will miss you if you died. It is proud to be “too scared” to tell someone because you will “freak” them out.
Life does suck, but I believe you have enough life in you to change it than to escape it by your own hands.
One thing about wearing a mask is that it isn’t a face. You can take it off.
If you are scared what’s happening to you, don’t endure it alone: please tell someone you trust.
For Me, I trust Jesus. Not because He’s clique. But because I can’t see Him to attempt to hide myself, but He can see me and know that I am lying with my face.
It’s confronting, but it’s also relief. The relief comes because He says things like “I will give you rest”* and “I will never leave you”**.
This relief He offers is produced by His personal extravagant love.***
I do somewhat enjoy unable to see God Jesus, because as God, He already knows everything and everything about me so my masquerade with Him is pointless; But also as a man, He understands hurt, pain, depression, loneliness, rejection, isolation, peer pressure, apathy, etc.****
You may feel too weak to carry on with life, but you bulk immense strength not to leave life early at your own will.
Life is a War that is Fought with Will.
*Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28 NKJV)
**For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5 NKJV)
***The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you. (Jeremiah 31:3 NKJV) This also applies to you. Because God loves all of us, He has provided the “bridge” over His anger against your wrong for you to enjoy Him:
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16 NKJV)
Accept His free forgiveness of your sins by trusting that He did actually rid of them by dying as God on the cross for payment and coming back to life (Rom 3:23-26); And switch to His plan for your life (Rom 12:1-2)
****For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted. (Hebrews 2:18 NKJV)
Christian Post just released the first photo of Pastor Youcef’s release!
PRAISE JESUS!!!
Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani was freed today of his apostasy charge that has kept the Iranian pastor imprisoned for three years.
Nadarkhani had also been sentenced to death for converting Muslims to Christianity. Over his imprisonment, he has been taken on and off death row due to the overwhelming international outcry for the pastor’s release.
This is glorious day!!! So happy!!!
I felt this was too great of a picture to keep to myself.*
“Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105 NKJV)
*photo by iBibleVerses via Facebook
Astounding quote. We have to be careful in our effort to know more about God, we don’t domesticate Him.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9 NKJV)
FOLLOW THE SON 