Thanks Carrie!

I pulled out my scripture and immediately thought of Daniel so I began to read. As I read chapter 3, I was blown away by our God!!! I became convinced that now, more than ever, is a time to trust in His might and power, a time to hope, a time to believe, a time to fight. I want to share with you some of my thoughts… We all know the story. King Nebuchadnezzar was an evil king who set up a false idol and ordered his people to worship it at his command. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to conform to this order, so the King had them thrown into the furnace. As they walked the furnace, they cried out to God. They admitted the weakness of their nation. They admitted that they are sinners and that they have transgressed from God. They admitted their failures to observe His commandments and their sins against Him. They acknowledge that their persecution and demise of their country is well deserved, and they admit that what was happening was in God’s proper judgment. (Does this remind you of our country at all? We have had this coming to us- our country has shut God out of our lives, our laws, our schools, etc. Our country has let innocent be killed and let marriage and family life be defiled, etc. We have turned away from God!) But then, the three young Jews humbly come before the Lord. They beg for His mercy to be outpoured, and the Lord hears their cry. He delivers from the flames. Through their steadfastness and faithfulness to the truth- King N. had a conversion of heart! He proclaimed the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego a great God, the only God! See how God can change hearts! See how God can be glorified in the midst of evil! So taking this to modern times and reflecting on our current situation: Maybe Obama is not putting people to death for not worshipping an idol, but he is setting a norm and changing society. Maybe Obama is promoting laws and visions that are 100% out of line with Christian belief. Maybe Obama will or will not be converted like King N. Maybe Obama will make it hard for Christians to live our faith well and he changes some things in the government. Maybe the next four years will be an awful time for our country, maybe Obama will make some good changes. Maybe this is the end times, maybe not. Maybe we'll be martyrs, maybe not. Who knows?! So as I think about all the what-ifs and maybes, I realize what we DO know. God is in control and we belong to Him. We can’t conform to the age, we can’t forget that nothing works outside of God’s purpose, we can’t let the truth be silenced, and we cannot place our identity outside of our sonship and mission with Christ! You all know me well and know how I get fired up, and as I think about all this I started to get very excited and zealous with some convictions about our faith and our mission…. I am convinced that we need to have hope- Jesus has already conquered!!! As dark as times get and as we feel the grasp of the evil one getting tighter, we have to remember to cling even tighter to this truth. Jesus is Lord. He has conquered death, He has conquered sin, He has conquered evil. I am convinced of our mission- In every hard time throughout history, God has raised up a people. In the midst of shaky leaders, of corrupt societies and of persecution God has not failed to raise up a generation of saints and martyrs. Why do we doubt that He will use this time to raise up His people? Why do we doubt that He is working in our midst right now, building and equipping us?! Ephesians 6! We are in a battle. I am convinced that we must not conform to this age. These three young Jews stayed true to their faith and consequently brought the king to his knees! People will see our faithfulness as a testament to the living God- we must live uprightly! Rom 12:1-2! > > I am convinced that God will be known and glorified through these hard times- As the dark gets darker, the truth will shine more brightly. I am extremely convicted that now, more than ever, we must stay strong to our beliefs. We must stay faithful to our God. We must stand up for truth. King N. was brought to his knees as he saw the faithfulness of God to His servants! Daniel 3! I am convinced of the need to pray for Barack Obama and all of our leaders. Is any heart too hard for God to change? Is any nation too stubborn or any task too great for our God? King N. was brought to his knees. Saul was knocked off of his horse. Jericho fell. Gideon conquered. Jesus saved us… Who are we to limit the work of God? Instead of fearing Obama, let’s pray for him! Acts 9 (Saul’s conversion)! I am convinced that God is almighty and all-powerful. HE IS BIGGER than Barack Obama, John McCain, politics, healthcare, the economy, taxes, race, religion, welfare, the war in Iraq, terrorism, even abortion… He is the Creator and Savior of the world and there is none besides Him, there is none like Him! I am convinced that God has a plan. Last night Andrew shared with me that Esther was afraid as she approached the king to save her people- but she was encouraged when Mordecai told her she was created for such a time as this!! And I truly believe that we are created for such a time as this. We were born in this time, in this country, to our families. We have responded to God in our decisions and we are responding to His call to build His kingdom. We are working and fighting to know God and to make Him known. In all this God has a plan for us, for our country, for our leaders and for our future. Rom 8:28! So let’s not despair. Let’s put our hope in the Lord our God, for He does not disappoint, nor does He abandon His people!!! As I think about the next four years of our country under the rule of Obama, I am taking this story from Daniel and my convictions from it to heart. Evil has always been a part of the world. God’s faithful people have always been persecuted. God has done great things in the midst of these trials, even when it seems hope is gone. But yet, sin and death DO NOT and WILL NOT reign, because Jesus DOES REIGN and WILL REIGN forever!! Jesus is Lord. Let’s fight harder to make Him known and to build His Kingdom!!!!! Whoa, that was long. Thanks for reading... I love you all and am proud to be "in this" with all of you : ) > > > Love, Carrie

Discernment

I realized today, that in my world God is supposed to do what I want Him to do. This is an awful way to discern. Please don't do what I do, examine yourself deeply and let God work. Do not be too busy or self-concerned to be docile, patient and obedient.