UNBELIEVEABLE! (Note: In light of the tragic story of the killing of Christian children in Egypt (as told in yesterday's post #546) being done with no apparent response from the Islamic led government, the following is simply apalling!) "Secretary of State John Kerry Quietly Sends $1.3 Billion in Military Aid to Egypt," June 07, 2013, http://www.presidentialprayerteam.com/Prayerwatch?pw=1508 ''U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has quietly sent $1.3 billion of military assistance to Egypt - controlled by the Muslim Brotherhood - in defiance of congressional restrictions on dollars going to countries that haven’t yet complied with standards of democracy, a memo revealed. ..." PLEASE PRAY:
- About the additional military aid provided to Egypt despite the unrest there.
- About the impact on the region of Egypt’s additional arms, particularly on Israel and Syria.
- About the Congressional response to the Kerry actions.
REMINDER: Check out this week's"Truth That Transforms" broadcast (Cen. FL - Sun., 5 pm, ch. 55.1; Mon., 7 pm, ch. 52.2, and at www.truthinaction.org) which this week discusses why ours is "A Nation Worth Fighting For" and includes a special feature about how God is calling the believer to be a part of that fight. URGENT PRAYERS/PETITIONS:Same -Sex "Marriage"- PLEASE PRAY WITH ME (every day untill the decision is revealed sometime in June) THAT THE SUPREME COURT WILL VOTE TO UPHOLD THE 2 LAWS REVIEWED SUPPORTING A TRADITIONAL DEFINITION OF MARRIAGE.. PRAY that the Court will resist any pressure to MAKE new law based on "cultural trends." PRAY as though the very future of the institution of the family is at stake because it is. PRAY for the sake of possibly millions of children, and for our country if it is to continue to be shown any more favor by our Heavenly Father, who I promise you will be very displeased if homosexual marriage is legalized; "GOD IS NOT [TO BE] MOCKED..." - (Gal. 6:7) - Stan [Be sure to check out my brief essay at post #478.]
American Pastor Saeed Held Prisoner in Iran - June 5th Update - "Saeed's Wife Uses UN Speech to 'Plant Gospel'," by George Thomas, CBN News Sr. Reporter, June 05, 2013, http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/June/Saeeds-Wife-Uses-UN-Speech-to-Plant-Gospel/?cpid=EU_CBNNEWSPM_2013_156 -[NOTE: With national elections coming up, it is considered a dangerous time for Christians as the government usually targets all that they see as opposition to their rule. On the other hand, after such elections, they have been known to release political prisoners as a sign of good faith. PRAY that God would especially protect Pastor Seed throughout the next few weeks and that his release would be part of actions the government takes post election. - Stan]"Prayers from Prison: American Pastor Held in Iran Releases Letter," May 22, 2013; http://www.presidentialprayerteam.com/Prayerwatch?pw=1458"...Abedini has been held at the brutal prison for 238 days, enduring long stints in solitary confinement, and, according to his supporters, beatings and torture at the hands of his jailers and fellow inmates. For months, he has been suffering from serious injuries, including internal bleeding from beatings with no proper medical attention, according to his family and attorneys."(Sources: Fox News, Assemblies of God website) As the Lord leads, please PRAY: =1) For the imprisoned Pastor Abedini, and for those Iranians who tend to his needs in prison to treat him more humanely. 2) For his family in Boise, Idaho. and their efforts to involve the U.S. State Department in securing Pastor Abedini’s release. And 3) For the impact of his witness upon believers and non-believers, in America and across the world. And if you have not yet, join the over 600,000 worldwide who have signed the petition asking for his release at www.SaveSaeed.org
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There’s a diabolical reason hidden in plain sight behind the horrific news we digest every day...
Daniel Patrick Moynihan coined the phrase “defining deviancy down” to describe the process by which we accept outrageous acts that we would never have tolerated a generation ago. Well, looking at recent headlines, let’s consider adopting a new term: defining depravity down. Here are a few examples: Two young Muslim radicals, educated in America, set off bombs at the Boston Marathon, killing three and badly injuring dozens more. In Britain, a British soldier is gruesomely murdered by two more Islamists—in broad daylight while spectators capture the attack with their camera phones.
Evil is not just the product of Islamist extremism, of course. The details that emerged about Philadelphia late-term abortionist Kermit Gosnell’s daily activities seemed to get worse and worse each day. And now more reports are coming out of North Carolina and Texas that mirror the Gosnell story.
The list goes on. Government scandals proliferate. Marriage and family are being redefined. And these are just the recent headlines. We’ve grown to expect a new sign of cultural decline almost every day.
But is this cultural decline purely of our own making, or is something more sinister going on?
The late Ralph Winter, the most renowned missions strategist of the late 20th century, began asking some hard questions when his beloved wife, Roberta, came down with the bone marrow cancer that eventually killed her. Winter, who later died of the same disease, was not satisfied with many evangelical explanations for the presence of evil and disease in the world. Author Harold Fickett, who assisted Chuck Colson on the book "The Faith", tells of Winter’s exploration of this issue extensively in his new biography, "The Ralph D. Winter Story." In a recent interview on BreakPoint, Fickett said that Winter wondered whether evangelicals had overlooked the active work of Satan in God’s world, and essentially “had succumbed to its own version of demythologizing, essentially ridding the gospel of the presence of Satan.” That’s not wise, because anyone who wants to join in the kingdom-building work of God will face satanic opposition.
C.S. Lewis spoke about this amnesia, too. He wrote, “I know someone will ask me, ‘Do you really mean, at this time of day, to reintroduce our old friend the devil—hoofs and horns and all?’ Well, what the time of day has to do with it I do not know. And I am not particular about the hoofs and horns. But in other respects my answer is ‘Yes, I do.’”
We work very hard here at BreakPoint to help you develop a Christian worldview—and that worldview has to soberly acknowledge the enemy’s activity in the world. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12).
At the same time, it’s also possible, and a mistake, to overestimate the power of Satan in the world. The Scripture is clear on this front: at the cross, Jesus disarmed Satan and defeated him. In His last conversation with His disciples recorded in John’s Gospel, Jesus said: “now shall the prince of this world be cast out...the prince of this world is judged.” The author of Hebrews agrees. “...that through death (Christ) might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.” Paul says that Jesus at the cross “made a show” of the principalities and powers by “openly triumphing over them.” And James promises us that if we resist the devil, he will flee.
Now, don’t get me wrong. As Neal Plantinga teaches our Centurions every year, a defeated enemy can still be a very dangerous enemy—like a wounded animal is still very dangerous. So, is it really so strange to think that Satan is rallying his forces in the present day? Not at all. But let that drive us to our knees in prayer, asking for strength and giving thanks to the One who is the victor: Jesus Christ.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
Further Reading and Information
Yes, Christian, There is a Devil: Evil behind the Headlines - Next Steps - Our culture has denied the role Satan and his minions still play in human affairs. Some churches have also done the same thing. We must counteract this trend.First, go back to the Scriptures with a fresh perspective focusing on passages where Jesus and the apostles discussed the significant role Satan plays in the perpetuation of evil.
Second, check out the resources below that analyze how Satan seeks to undermine your walk with the Lord. But never forget, Christ has supremacy and victory over Satan. Lastly, put on the armor of God and pray to Christ to give you the courage to confront evil.
Articles:
Ralph Winter’s Risky Theological Business, by Stan Guthrie | BreakPoint.org | May 2, 2013, http://www.breakpoint.org/features-columns/breakpoint-columns/entry/2/22139
Illuminate Evil, by Shane Morris | BreakPoint.org | April 17, 2013, http://www.colsoncenter.org/issues/themeoftheweek/entry/42/21994
Books:
The Ralph D. Winter Story, by Harold Fickett | William Carey Press | January 2013The Faith, by Chuck Colson, Harold Fickett | Zondervan | January 2008
Not the Way Its Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin, by Cornelius Plantinga | Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company | January 1995
Mere Christianity, by C. S. Lewis | HarperOne
The Screwtape Letters, by C. S. Lewis | HarperOne
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