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Pray Imprecatory Psalms Against Evil
When the twelve disciples faced the impossible task of feeding 5,000 people, they said to Jesus, “We only have five loaves and two fish” (Matthew 14:17). That’s how I feel as I watch yet another injustice destroy innocent lives in a far corner of the world. Once again, I only have my prayers to bring to Jesus. But because God is able to multiply them, I join my voice with the psalmist to plead that he would stop evil. This time, I turn to the imprecatory psalms. The imprecatory psalms are those that call down destruction, calamity, and God’s judgment on enemies. These psalms express our outrage about injustice unleashed on…
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Taking Thoughts Captive and How to Teach it
Thoughts are a part of life. They happen. We can’t control when or what thought might pop into our minds. There seem to be as many thoughts that come from outside us as those that begin within. It is no different for our children. From the earliest age of forming thoughts, outside forces impose images in our minds that provoke an emotional response. Imagination is a wonderful gift for without it we could not begin to relate to the God we cannot see or touch. Sadly, in a fallen broken world our imagination can be an instrument used to overwhelm us. I compare my thoughts to a massive school of…
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The Spiritual Battle
My heart is stirred by the spiritual battle raging around us all the time. Oh, that God would open the eyes of His children to see what He sees. I would that our ears might hear the clashing of swords and the clink of the armor that fills the spiritual realm. Praying believers are warriors who shield one another from the fiery darts of the enemy whose desire is to oppress God’s children. Prayer warriors wage war against the enemy who grips tightly the unbelieving souls of those in spiritual darkness. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 makes it clear that there is a spiritual battle. “For though we live as human beings,…
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Evil is Triumphing over Good, God Will You Do Nothing?
“These are dangerous times, and the threat of war is greater now than at any time since the end of the Cold War, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told the Senate Armed Services Committee… (2)
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One Way to Show Love to Our Veterans
Soldiers and their families make great sacrifices—sometimes the ultimate sacrifice—in service to their countries. And often after they have arrived home, we forget that they continue to suffer the effects of their service. Consider the following: • Every day, 20 U.S. military veterans commit suicide (Suicide Data Report, Department of Veteran Affairs, Mental Health Services, 2015) • 20 percent of veterans suffer with PTSD (Litz BT, Schlenger WE. PTSD in service members and new veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars: a bibliography and critique. PTSD Res Q 2009; 20(1):1–2.) • Among incarcerated adults, 10 percent served previously in the military (Blodgett JC, Avoundjian T, Finlay AK, et al.…
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Peace on Earth
Peace on Earth War. Every decade of my life has been scarred by war. It seems to me that we have a constant longing for peace and a constant reality of war. It began for me when I was in first grade, just barely learning to read, and I used to spread the newspaper out on the living room floor, mostly to look at the pictures. I still remember one vivid scene from World War II of a US ship at sea spewing black smoke on its way to destruction. I also remember the wild celebration on VJ day, as all our neighborhood poured out of our…
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The “Ice Bucket Challenge” and the Bible
I love it when popular culture validates the truth of God’s own word. Right now the world around us is on fire; from riots in Ferguson to beheadings in Iraq to war between Israel and Palestine, and throw in a 6.0 Earthquake in Northern California. If you want a guaranteed headache, spend too much time watching the nightly news. Then sweeping the social media scene along comes the “ice bucket challenge.” Perhaps you’ve already soaked your head for the cause of research for ALS. Folks from every walk of life have joined the fun including our just past President, George W. Bush. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJaDBzaAPAc He concludes his challenge by inviting someone…
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Death or Deny? Do I care?
Imagine being awakened by loudspeakers travelling through your neighborhood blaring an ultimatum to you as a Christian; convert to Islam, pay a religious tax, face death or leave. For those of us who live today in a society protected from such overt Government persecution, it is chilling to read of these very circumstances facing believers in rebel-occupied Iraq. Tragically many of our sisters and brothers in Christ face this horrific choice; recant their faith or face death. Mosul, the capital of the Nineveh province is located about 250 miles from Bagdad and the Wall Street Journal reports this ultimatum demanded by the rebels of Christians in this city of historical…
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God’s Invisible Hand?
Just a short two weeks ago the world teetered on the brink of a missile strike against Syria. Following the inhuman use of sarin gas to murder innocent men, women and children our President labeled this a moral outrage and announced our intent to administer severe consequences for this violation of international human rights. Feelings were mixed among the nation, abhorring the senseless deaths of so many yet hesitant to reengage in the role of the world’s policeman. Believer’s prayed including over 10,000 people who prayed and fasted with Pope Francis in St. Peter’s square on Saturday, September 7th. Imploring God’s mercy and wisdom, yet peace seemed humanly hopeless. But…
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A Christian Conservative Goes to College, part 2 (Philosophy 101)
“If only you would keep completely silent! For you that would be wisdom” (Job 13:5). “Philosophy” is a word based upon two Greek root words, “philo” meaning “love” and “sophia” meaning “wisdom.” Thus Philosophy is supposed to mean, “love of wisdom.” “Wisdom is supreme,” the Scriptures tell us, “so acquire wisdom, and whatever you acquire, acquire understanding” (Proverbs 4:7). I took my first Philosophy class in my very first semester of college. I was very excited about taking it because I wanted to learn more about Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. I wanted to learn about the great thinkers. I was ready for God to teach me His Truth even through…
