The Reason I Won't Stop Praying
Evil is not smart enough to be creative. It finds a niche' and continues to replicate what works, wearing a hole in the fabric of goodness and innocence and light we use to cover ourselves so we can sleep at night. We get frustrated by the cold chill from this world, angry because it takes away our comfort, and become hopeless because the winds won't stop blowing. keep blowing.
America feels a little hopeless right now.
Does that sound like where you are? Me, too. But I will not let evil hold my hope for ransom. My Jesus paid it all, and because I owe Him I will fight for what He loves.
I will fight for you. I will fight for me. I will fight in prayer, in my community, AND with my ballot so the next generation will not inhale a culture of despair with their first breath. I will not forget who I am in Christ and that no weapon formed against us will prosper.
Child of God, do you know you have the capacity to fight evil? Who controls your power, faith or fear? Before you can win, you must conquer self.
But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anakcome from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” ~Number 13:31-33 (New International Version)
What should have been a three day journey became forty years because of doubt. Evil will not win, but it can cause delay by exposing the grasshopper mentality within us, eating away at the strength and fortitude we need to possess the land.
As I said last week... doubt has no destination but you do.
You were born for such a time as this.
So, redeem your time.
Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. ~Ephesians 5:11-16
As I got ready for my day, I saw the small, wooden cross gifted to me and some of my colleagues by my mentor, Pastor Henry Batson, from his trip to Israel. I keep it near my Bible where I can see it easily because I don't want to lose sight of it - visually, emotionally, or spiritually.
I want my subconscious to look for it and to look for God when His presence in the world is not obvious.
I don't want to forget that someone loved me enough to fight for me.
We grieve with those who grieve, then fight for those who can't because Jesus is our hope.
He is why we pursue legislation for peace,
why we vote and use our voice,
why we serve without being asked,
why we hold those in authority accountable,
why we pray without ceasing.
This is what keeping HOPE alive looks like.
Let's get it done.
