“The Lord is slow to anger but great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished.” Nahum 1:3
My thoughts: Nahum prophesied about the destruction of Nineveh and Assyria, one of the most barbaric peoples that ever existed. These verses bring to mind the evil terrorist organization Hamas, which is responsible for the cruel atrocities inflicted on the Jewish people on October 7.
In His Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
The photo above isof Kfir Bibas, the youngest hostage taken into Gaza by Hamas terrorists. His first birthday was not celebrated with his mother and father. No, little Kfir had his first birthday in captivity.
I cannot imagine the unbearable pain and horror his parents and family are experiencing right now. Pray for them and all the hostages and their families.
The savage attack on Israel on October 7th portrayed human depravity at its worst. But in spite of this reality, terror organizations are influencing people all over the world to protest against Israel! They are easily manipulated to hate the Jews because they are ignorant of the truth. This is evil and is inspired by Satan.
Similarly, when protestors chanted and held signs that said “From the River to the Sea. Palestine will be free”, they were asked what river? and what sea? They didn’t know. Nor did they know that the chant implicitly advocates for the dismantling of Israel and a call for the removal or extermination of the Jewish population of the region.
Map showing Israel and the Palestinian Territories as outlined by the Oslo Accords. The Jordan River is on the right, and the Mediterranean Sea is on the left.
Anti-semitism is at an all-time high. Pro-Hamas protests are occurring in cities all over the world! It is unthinkable, but it is happening nonetheless, even in U.S. cities.
Thousands of Pro-Hamas Protesters in London
Do you know what else is at an all-time high? DECEPTION! Ignorance of the truth is widespread and deception is rampant.
In a world often characterized by intolerance and hate, God has called His people to love. The Woke crowd hates anyone who won’t get on board with their agenda. They will curse you and call you a racist, transphobic, or a Nazi. Protestors try to shut down free speech when the speaker is pro-life. Speaking the Truth takes courage and many Christians stay silent because speaking out may cause them to be hated. They could even lose their job.
The following verse takes on new significance in today’s world.
Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35 NIV
Christ-followers are to be identified by the way they love one another. Just think of it. Some groups are identified by their head covering. Some are identified by the color of their skin, their language, their food, their flag, or their culture. Of all the ways we might identify a particular group of people, only Christ-followers are identified by their love. That’s amazing when you think about it.
Our human perspective is limited. Paul said,
“We see through a glass darkly” (1 Corinthians 13:12 KJV)
But God’s perspective is without limitations. He is all-knowing. That’s why we must trust and follow Jesus, even when we don’t understand His ways. How do we do that? By obeying His Word.
Jesus prayed, “I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” John 17:14-17 NIV (emphasis mine)
There is already tremendous pressure to accept an unbiblical worldview. But if you read your Bible, you know this pressure is only going to get worse.
The Apostle John warns us that a time is coming when people won’t be able to buy or sell unless they worship the Antichrist, and have a specific mark on their hand or forehead. That’s a lot of pressure to conform! Revelation 13:16-17 NIV
Jesus said, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly My disciples;and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 14:1 NASB
“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist…” Ephesians 6:14 NIV
“Beloved, let’s love one another; for love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.” 1 John 4:7 NASB (emphasis mine)
In His Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
I’ve often wondered what I would have done if I had lived in Germany during the Holocaust. Would I have just gone along, business as usual? Would I have buried my head in the sand? Or would I have faced the truth about what was going on and asked God what He would have me do? Would I have risked my life by hiding Jews?
The Holocaust was possible because of the lies and propaganda perpetuated by Hitler. Propaganda is a powerful weapon and today it is more easily wielded than ever because of social media.
Today, Jews are under a demonic attack that hasn’t been seen since the Holocaust. I don’t want to bury my head in the sand. And I certainly don’t want to be deceived by the proliferation of propaganda and lies that abound in the news and social media today.
Even though it breaks my heart, I want to know the truth. Unfortunately, news services are not reliable sources of information because they only report the stories that conform to their narrative. News that does not fit that narrative will not be reported. Consider the words of Matti Friedman, former AP correspondent.
“In early 2009, for example, two colleagues of mine obtained information that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had made a significant peace offer to the Palestinian Authority several months earlier, and that the Palestinians had deemed it insufficient. This had not been reported yet and it was—or should have been—one of the biggest stories of the year.”
Friedman goes on to say, “During the 2008-2009 Gaza fighting I personally erased a key detail—that Hamas fighters were dressed as civilians and being counted as civilians in the death toll—because of a threat to our reporter in Gaza. (The policy was then, and remains, not to inform readers that the story is censored unless the censorship is Israeli.)”
If you want to keep informed on the latest and most accurate news and developments concerning Israel and the world, I strongly recommend Amir Tsarfati’s Telegram app.
To sign up, go to Amir Tsarfati’s website, Behold Israel. Click on the NEWS tab and sign up for his Telegram page. There is a lot of information here you may never see on any other news sites.
Amir Tsarfati is a believer in Jesus Christ, Bible teacher, and author who lives in Israel. Here is a post from Amir’s Telegram page on 1/1/24. You won’t see this on the news!
“For this is what the Lord Almighty says: “After the Glorious One has sent me against the nations that have plundered you—for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye— I will surely raise my hand against them so that their slaves will plunder them. Then you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me.” Zechariah 2:8-9 NIV (emphasis mine)
God said, “I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. Genesis 17:7 NIV (emphasis mine)
“The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west.All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever.” Genesis 13:14-15 NIV (emphasis mine)
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.” For the sake of my brothers and friends, I will say, “Peace be within you.” For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your prosperity.” Psalm 122:6-9 NIV (emphasis mine)
By the way, ostriches don’t really bury their heads in the sand. Only humans do that!
In His Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
According to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the majority of children arriving at camps like Auschwitz were sent directly to the gas chambers upon arrival. Some, however, were chosen for dangerous science experiments or forced manual labor. Pictured here, child survivors of Auschwitz don adult-size prisoner jackets.
For believers in Jesus, Hanukkah is a sobering reminder of the evil force of antisemitism in the world. As believers, we should emulate God’s love for His chosen people by standing against antisemitism. (For an explanation of Hanukkah read this.)
I am shocked at the degree to which hatred has spread throughout our world today toward the Jewish people and the nation of Israel. Demonstrators chant “Free Palestine” and “From the river to the sea”. But when interviewed, less than half even knew what their chant meant. (Wall Street Journal)
“This terrifying pattern of antisemitic attacks has been relentless since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, with no signs of diminishing,” Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the ADL, said in a statement. “The lid to the sewers is off, and Jewish communities all across the country are being inundated with hate.
CBS News
God had a plan to bless the world through the Jews.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 NIV
He sent His son, Jesus, to save the world. No wonder Satan hates and wants to destroy the Jewish people.
The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:1-3 NIV (emphasis mine)
These words popped out to me today:
“and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
The Jewish people continue to bless the world even today. Although Jews are a small percentage of the population (0.2%), they have made an astounding number of contributions in the fields of medicine, science, art, and music for which everyone should be grateful.
Here are just a few:
Jonas Salk (creator of the first polio vaccine)
Albert Sabin (oral polio vaccine)
Galileo (pioneered the use of the telescope for observing the night sky. His discoveries undermined traditional ideas about a perfect and unchanging cosmos with the Earth at its center.)
Elie Wiesel (political activist, Nobel laureate, and Holocaust survivor. He authored 57 books)
Albert Einstein
Jerry Lewis (who raised more than $2 billion dollars for his Muscular Dystrophy Association Charity, Jerry’s Kids)
Isaac Singer (inventor of the sewing machine)
(This list could go on and on, but I’ll stop here for the sake of brevity.)
The pro-Hamas demonstrators, when interviewed, showed little to no knowledge of the history of Judaism or the establishment of the Jewish state.
Ignorance allows dictators and terrorists to pursue their objectives while a properly informed public preserves and protects what is important to a free and civilized society.
If you believe such things are important, offer some gratitude, not hostility, to the Jews.”
We live in a time of great delusion. This is no time to depend on our own opinions. This is a time when the only source of truth that can be trusted is God’s Word, the Bible. Everything we hear or read must pass the litmus test of God’s Word.
“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.” 1 John 4:1-3 NIV
To understand what is happening in our world today, we must be students of the Bible or risk being deceived by our enemy “Satan, who leads the whole world astray.” (Revelation 12:9)
Hamas, who committed heinous, evil atrocities against Israel is being supported and defended by millions of people around the world. How is this possible?
They are deceived. They believe the lies and propaganda. Christians are not immune to this deception. The only safeguard against deception is the discernment that comes from knowing God’s Word.
“The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.” 1 Timothy 4:1
My question to you is this: Should the Church speak out, or should they be silent? Few churches are speaking out against the evils of this present time such as antisemitism, transgender ideology, sexual perversion, and abortion.
Our culture is at odds with the teachings of the Bible. Although persecution is not a stranger to Christians in many other parts of the world, America is beginning to see extreme religious persecution for the first time.
Antisemitism around the world has increased dramatically. And pressure to support anti-Christian ideologies is alarmingly strong. Being a Christian isn’t getting easier, but it is vitally important! I am reminded of the Scripture that says,
“If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?” Jeremiah 12:5
Face it. Americans don’t live in a culture with a Judeo-Christian worldview anymore. Will we compromise or stand for truth? Consider the words of Jesus,
“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32 (Emphasis mine)
I don’t know about you, but I want to be free and I want others to be free.
“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.” 1 Corinthians 13:6
Many books could be written to answer that question, but my purpose here is to give you something to think about.
One of the biggest problems in the world today is that people believe lies, even outrageous lies. Who would have believed that American universities would be teaching that a man can get pregnant, or that an unborn child at full term isn’t a human being?
Who would have believed that, all over the world, people would be protesting against the Jews in support of the terrorist organization Hamas? Who would have believed that an irrational hatred for Israel and the Jews would be unleashed that hasn’t been seen since the Holocaust? There is a reason for this. These lies come straight from Satan. He is behind the dangerous lies that much of the world has bought into.
Unfortunately, people believe lies (also known as propaganda). Actually, I’m pretty shocked at how easily a culture’s thinking can be controlled.
Remember, Satan is the Father of lies. Speaking to the Pharisees, Jesus said,
“You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44 NIV (emphasis mine)
I’ve read many historical novels that take place during WW2. You may have read the famous book, The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom. (If you haven’t read it, please do!)
How could 6 million Jews have been carried off to concentration camps and no one stopped it? Why didn’t the people do something? Some, like Corrie ten Boom and her family, did take action by hiding Jews in their home. They were arrested and put in the infamous concentration camp Auschwitz. And there were others, like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who gave their lives to stand against evil. But the vast majority did nothing. Did they believe Hitler’s lies?
As we think about our question, consider these words of Adolf Hitler:
Throughout the world today, there is enormous support for the terrorist organization Hamas and an irrational hatred for Jews. Only demonic influence can explain it.
The world changed October 7. It will never be what it used to be.”
Jan Markell
As the world becomes more and more anti-Jesus, it is going to become more and more anti-Jewish.
Trevor Rubenstein
No wonder the Bible has so much to say about love and truth. How important they are!
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Jesus (John 13:35 NIV)
“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” 1 Corinthians 13:6-8a
“So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth…” Ephesians 4:25 NLT
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 NIV
I urge you to follow our brother in Christ, Amir Tsarfati, on Telegram so that you will know what is happening around the world concerning Israel and the Jews. Ignorance is NOT bliss. Click the link below to hear Amir’s testimony (5 minutes), and follow him on Telegram.
I have spoken about Amir’s ministry many times on this blog. I urge you to listen to his testimony (only 5 minutes). Our God is mighty!
Amir’s Telegram page will keep you informed about what is really going on in Israel and around the world as it relates to the terrorist group Hamas. He is a trusted source. Truth matters!
My heart is broken for the people of Israel and I cannot write about anything else today.
The brutality being inflicted on innocent Israeli citizens is pure evil, unlike anything we have ever seen. I will not share the horrifying pictures, but they can be found elsewhere.
We must pray for the captives: babies, children, teens, adults, and the elderly. May they be brought home safely. Pray also for their families who are grief-stricken beyond anything we can imagine. These are only a few of the kidnapped children.
The best news source on the terrorist attacks on Israel is Amir Tsarfati’s Telegram page. Amir is an Israeli Believer, Bible Teacher, author, and speaker. Go to his website, Behold Israel, then click on the News tab to sign up for his Telegram page. There you can get minute-by-minute updates on what is happening in Israel.
There is a lot of misinformation about this war going out. That’s why it is so important to know the truth about what is happening and not believe propaganda coming from Hamas. You can trust Amir. I have followed him for a long time.
Unbelievers in Israel are asking believers to pray for them. Let us pray!
How You Can Help
There are thousands of evacuees – many of them orphaned children – in need of assistance.
Here is a list summarizing a few organizations that can make the most out of any donation you choose to give. (From the article How You Can Support Israel, from Amir’s newsletter. Read it here.)
Galgal Hozer (the turning wheel) https://galgal.ussl.co.il/?lang=en Together with Shlomi, the acting head of this NGO, I spent the last two days distributing food and essentials to the people of Sderot in the area, to the amazing hundreds of volunteers from “Red David’s Shield” (red-cross equivalent) who rushed to the war zones. Shlomi will keep on providing help to those in need affected by the war.
Jewish Assistance & Relief fund https://www.jarisrael.org/english Or https://www.jgive.com/new/en/usd/collect/donation-targets/68382/amount My good friend Lilach Lester founded a wonderful organization devoted for helping Israel’s poor. Lilach has established the Israeli Food Bank and was awarded a special commendation from the president of Israel. In the last three days, the entire organization has turned its attention towards the refugees of the war.
This preparatory school for high school graduates sits right next to Sderot & Kibbutz Shoval at the heart of what now is sadly a war zone. They are working around the clock with many of their alumni for aid and relief in the area.
Pray for Israel
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:29-31 NIV (emphasis mine)
“My heart is with Israel’s princes, with the willing volunteers among the people. Praise the Lord!” Judges 5:9 NIV
In His Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
When peace comes, we will perhaps, in time, be able to forgive the Arabs for killing our sons, but it will be harder for us to forgive them for having forced us to kill their sons. Peace will come when the Arabs will love their children more than they hate us.”
Golda Meier
Pray for Israel!
In His Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
The British Prime Minister’s residence at Downing 10, London
To see minute-to-minute events happening in Israel, from Israel, go to: Amir Tsarfati’s website, Behold Israel. Amir Tsarfati is a believer in Jesus Christ who lives in Israel.
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.” For the sake of my brothers and friends, I will say, “Peace be within you.” For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your prosperity.” Psalm 122:6-9 NIV
In His Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
Real Christian Women 