“God treated Jesus as if He had lived my life, that I may be treated as if I had lived His life.”
Harvey Stalker
““For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16 AMP
“Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord [always doing your best and doing more than is needed], being continually aware that your labor [even to the point of exhaustion] in the Lord is not futile nor wasted [it is never without purpose].” 1 Corinthians 15:58 AMP (emphasis mine)
“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.” Psalm 145:18-19 NIV
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 evil 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?
These lies come straight from Satan. He is behind the dangerous lies that much of the world has bought into.
Unfortunately, many people believe these lies (also known as propaganda). It’s shocking how easily a culture’s thinking can be reformed and 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 Ravensbrücke. 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 on 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
“Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Winston Churchill
“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
No wonder the Bible has so much to say about love and truth! How important they are!
“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 Meir, A Land of Our Own: An Oral Autobiography
One of my favorite genres is historical fiction during WWII. At one time, I found it hard to understand how the German people could remain silent during the Holocaust. But now I understand that societal pressure and fear are powerful forces to keep one silent.
It isn’t easy to speak up against lies, in the church or in secular society. In the case of Nazi Germany, silence aided evil. Silence can aid evil in today’s world as well.
“Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.” Isaiah 1:17 NIV
Even secularists know what it means to stay silent:
“Your very silence shows you agree.” Euripides (480-406 BC)
“Sometimes, to remain silent is to lie, since silence can be interpreted as assent.” Miguel de Unamuno (1864-1936)
Have you ever read a passage of Scripture that was so personal that it seems to have been written just for you? I have. It is the verse below.
Jesus said, “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.” Matthew 18:12-14 NIV
I am reminded that He did that for me. When I wandered off, God didn’t say, “Oh well,” or “She’s a lost cause.”
No! He went after me and brought me home! Those verses are very personal for me. We serve a God who is merciful, so merciful!
He will go after one lost sheep because He loves each one of us. He loves each individual person. He loves you!
“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.Therefore encourage one another with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 NIV
In His Love, Cindy
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.”
“Sing to God, sing in praise of his name, extol him who rides on the clouds; rejoice before him—his name is the Lord. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing.” Psalm 68:4-6 NIV
In His Love, Cindy
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.”
Real Christian Women 