There have been times in my life when writing was just too hard to do. In those times, I feel like my thoughts can't be put into words well enough and I often become very discouraged and frustrated with the words that I pour onto pages. This is one of those times. I decided last week that I wasn't going to continue on with this blog because it was detrimental to my ability to write "good" poetry. And yesterday I realized how stupid that actually is. Jesus gave me a gift with words and I intend to use that gift to glorify him in any and every way possible. So, without further ado and no matter my opinion on how well it's written, I give you my next blog post:
We watched this movie a couple of days ago called: "Six: The Mark Unleashed". It's set in the end-times, when the earth has been taken over by an evil dictator (which you can all guess is the anti-christ), and the mark of the Beast is being forced on everyone worldwide. Those who take the mark become members of "The Community" and those that refuse it are taken to prison and executed three weeks later. The prisons mainly consist of Christians (duh!) and this is where most of the non-christian prisoners accept Jesus. The police force in the movie are there to track down and implant "fugitives and radicals" (people who've refused the implant and ran), and those that are captured and continue to refuse are then tortured until they accept the implant or die. In one scene, the man torturing the main character tells him that he's much more fun because all of the "radicals" don't do anything but scream out the name of Jesus or say "I forgive you" for torturing them...
Needless to say, the movie sparked questions in me about myself. Would I refuse the implant, knowing that I would be thrown in prison and executed? Would I continue to refuse it if they tortured me? How big IS my fear of man? Am I THAT sure of Jesus and His Love for me? Am I THAT in love with Christ? Is my faith in my savior that secure?
You all know, or at least you should know, about the persecution of Christians in the Middle East and Isis killing them. And after thousands of murders, our Brothers and Sisters continue to say "I believe in a God that is far greater than anything this world can do to me". There are christian children being beheaded and they continue to say "Yes Jesus! You are better!" And I am amazed at the faith and assurance of the persecuted church. And when I'm not praying for them, I wonder if I would continue to walk in the assurance of Jesus after being witness to that.
We've all been asked the question: If a gunman ran in here right now and told you he would shoot everyone that proclaimed Christianity, would you tell him that you were in Love with Jesus? And we all say, "Yes! Of course!". But would we really? How many of us are too in love with the life that God's blessed us with or would be too afraid when met with extreme persecution to continue to profess the name of Jesus?
We have a God who is with us always and will never leave us! We have a God that protects us under all circumstances and Loves us no matter what. We have an assurance of salvation and a place in Heaven that our Father has prepared for us before the beginning of time. We have a God that is far better than anything of this world, and we have a God that can overcome anything this world can do to us. How radical is our trust and faith in an unwavering, all-powerful, all-loving God? How great is our Love for the Creator who sent His son to die for us? How much do we allow the Love of God to overcome our fear of the World?
Hebrews 13:5-6 : "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as you have: for He has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you. So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?"
