On Monday I was in my Old Testament Prophets class and our teacher, Dr. Rickie Moore (an Old Testament Scholar), read to us a soliloquy that he wrote about Jeremiah. This is written as if it were Jeremiah's reflection at the end of his life. This is probably better understood read aloud, but this will have to work. It really spoke measure to me, so I wanted to share it with you and pray that it'll do the same for you.
"I remember when He first called me to be his prophet
I was young then, so young that in fear I drew back,
but so young that in ignorance I stepped forward.
Forward into that presence so strange yet so familiar,
A presence suddenly which I did not know,
but which seemed to have always known me.
I felt surrounded almost smothered,
yet more alone than I ever knew anyone could feel.
It was as if nothing else existed, only myself and His word.
And then as that word came on me it was as though even I ceased to exist.
His word filling an consuming all of me and all of the world.
So in those times when I appeared to be bold or before the crowds or the priests or the officials,
Don't be mistaken I was not bold, no more bold than a dead man,
would that God had left me there,
But each time after HIs word left me
the weaknesses of my living flesh returned with greater force than before.
I longed to be understood, to fit in, to join in the festivities, to live just a normal life,
but who could believe how abnormal life had become.
Yes who could believe, who would believe?
That was the question of my life, a question I know I ask a hundred thousand times,
Was I Gods agent to turn my people to believe,
or just a lone witness against their unwillingness, their inability to believe.
Will you tell me which?
How do you expect me to intercede for more people and at the same time proclaim their judgement.
Why don't you answer me, can't you see my crying?
Or is it you who cries?
At the first He promised that He would be with me.
How was I to know that he meant it as a warning,
How was I to know that no one could ever be prepared to be with such a God,
A God who inflict such suffering on His own, His own self.
Enough questions, my questions have brought only silence,
but it is His silence."
I hope you enjoyed this. Thanks Dr. Moore, I appreciate all you have meant in my life.
Today is Today
Well, today is today. Not sure where that came from, just felt like doing it. There have been a lot of incredible, fun, life changing, excellent things going on lately, and sometimes the only things I know to do is thank the Lord for where He has me. At the same time though this it is hard, grueling, gut wrenching sometimes. But, the Lord is Sovereign and in control.
Trusting in the Lord is a difficult thing to do, and this week I have really experienced that. It is so easy to just decide to quit everything and do what you really want to do (or what you think you really want). But then you realize then you realize that that would not be who God created you to be. We are overcomers, and if we are where the Lord wants us to be then we need to walk there in our identity as He has called us.
This is what I have been learning in a big nutshell. This applies to multiple facets of my life (especially in the past week). It is time to consciously fight for our identity. If we don't then Satan will subtly come and speak lies which we usually end up sowing. Thus, where there is a sowing of something naturally there is a reaping. If we sow lies we are reaping a false identity. I challenge you today - Fight.
Urgent Message to Pray
This is a message from Lou Engle. Please pray for America tomorrow.
"Convergence
It is critical that the church in America understands the times and what needs to be done now. The natural things speak of the invisible. Natural happenings on the earth are revealing something that is going on in the spiritual realm. There is a great spiritual conflict with a rising tide of Islamic boldness being manifested. Several happenings are converging this week. First of all, our President has recently proclaimed, honored, encouraged the Muslim holy days of prayer and fasting called Ramadan. He was very silent on the National Day of Prayer but very vocal on the support of Ramadan. Interestingly at the same time a major Christian leader of the Emergent Church called for forty days of fasting and prayer in the same Ramadan period with the goal that the church will better understand our Muslim friends. We are all for understanding but we must have spiritual discernment as to the spiritual dark powers that are being invoked into our nation.
Cause for Concern
At the same time, on the 25th of September, Muslims are calling for a Muslim Day of Prayer in Washington DC (http://www.islamoncapitolhill.com/). They are calling for 50,000 Muslims to gather and pray on the DC Mall. This is the exact word of one of the Sheikhs who is leading this historic gathering, “Muslims should march on the White House. We are going to the White House so that Islam will be victorious, Allah willing, and the White House will become into a Muslim house.” These are not empty words. They speak of a dark spiritual intent and a coming day of great trouble to America.
A Divine Moment
Now one of these events is enough to awaken us to this significant throbbing moment, but when they all converge it becomes a massive spiritual alarm that must be responded to by the praying Church. However, I believe in this moment of divine providence God has raised up on the stage of history a little “Esther” that if we pray and fast for her she could be a major voice to expose the dark under-belly of Islam and radiate a bright hope for a day of salvation for Muslims in America.
Headlines
On Monday, Rifqa Bary, a young 17-year-old woman, will be in the headlines of US news. Four years ago, while living in a very devout and radical Muslim home, Rifqa met Jesus in a powerful way as her savior. She hid her conversion, began praying secretly, and began hiding her bible from her parents. Then, on Facebook, her love for Jesus was exposed to the radical Muslim community in Ohio. Rifqa’s father demanded that she renounce Jesus or he would kill her as is commanded by the Koran. As a radiant believer in Jesus she refused to renounce her Lord and fled to Orlando where she was taken in and cared for by a Christian Church and family. Now, the father is appealing to the courts to bring her back under his custody. Major television networks have already covered her story. How must the Church of America respond in this moment for our sister who is a part of the Body of Christ?
A Major Sign
This convergence, I believe, is urgently summoning us in the midst of the rising tide of Islamic influence in America to recognize that our God is above every god and that if we return to Him with all of our hearts and call upon Him with fasting and prayer then God could use what the enemy meant for evil to bring about a great day of salvation for Muslims in America, of which Rifqa is but a major sign.
Here is The Call
First of all, we cannot be passive as a Church to let these kinds of developments go on without being challenged in the spirit. Our fight is not against Muslims, it is against principalities, powers, and forces of darkness. We are calling the Church of America at the end of Ramadan, from September 21st through 25th, to five days of concerted prayer. On Monday, we must pray that God would grant supernatural wisdom to the courts so that the testimony of Jesus would be proclaimed and that the best situation for Rifqa and her family would take place. We must pray for Rifqa to be bold in proclaiming Jesus that even thousands of Muslims would hear and be awakened to the love of Christ. She has already said that this is not about her but about many Muslims coming to Jesus. We must pray for her lawyers who are being bullied, threatened, and challenged on every side. On Friday, September 25th, the Muslim Day of Prayer, we are calling the Church of America to fast and pray that Muslims would be moved by the Holy Spirit, convicted by the testimony of Christ, and even be visited by Jesus in dreams. We must pray that God would restrain the spiritual powers behind Islam and grant us the great awakening that we desperately need for America.
Let us hear the call to prayer and not miss this moment,
Lou Engle"
