Love is stronger than hate.
How do I know this?
Because God is love.
If we all embraced God’s love for us, there would be no hate in this world.
But the world does not love God.
It replaces love with hate because Satan is the ruler of this world.
And Satan is on a global jihad against Christians.
No one knows the time of Jesus’ return, but I’m guessing it could be real soon the way the world is exploding in hatred against God’s people.
“So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near.” (Luke 21:31)
Christians are “fair game” to be attacked by the secular media, special interest groups, a politically correct and religious intolerant society, government interference, and violent religious extremists on a large scale.
Why is this?
Because Satan hates God, Jesus, and especially His people, Jews and Christians.
Satan has limited time on Earth before he is chained up in hell.
So the all-out assault on Christians is gaining momentum. (See Rev. 20:1-3)
The “Persecuted Church” is No Meaningless Catch Phrase
Muslim extremists, atheists, agnostics, and governments have teamed up to persecute Christians around the world.
To see a list of the worst offending countries, visit Open Door USA.
ISIS, in particular, has demolished long-standing Christian enclaves in Syria and Iraq, beheading believers and often selling young girls and women as sex slaves.
The “Sign of the Nazarene” is painted on Christian homes of those either killed, chased out, or forced to pay a tax.
The 14th letter of the Arabic alphabet which stands for “Nazarenes”
Where there were once 1 million Christians in these areas, the number has been decimated to about 250,000, according to Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) and a champion of Christian causes.
Christians are also facing an “Indonesian Jihad” as Islamic leaders in that part of the world have ordered followers to take to the streets and burn churches.
It’s an unholy genocide. And the world, primarily, stands by and watches.
But it should come as no surprise.
Jesus said, “And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake.” (Matthew 10:22)
Know Who Your True Enemy is to Fight The Battle Successfully
Prayer and love are our two greatest weapons because our battle is not against flesh.
It is true, we battle against people, but they are people who have fallen victim to corrupt and evil influences in the world. In essence, they are “godless people.”
Ephesians 6:12 explains it best:
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
Be it man or ideology, our fight as Christians is against the devil and his evil that surrounds the world.
Are We Safe In America as Christianity is Attacked?
The answer is NO.
There is a subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) “American Jihad” sweeping the country.
The Statue of Liberty is an iconic symbol of freedom for the United States of America. Upon it is engraved July 4, 1776. The day the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence.
What is surprising, are the heightened level of attacks on Christianity in the United States.
America is supposed to be a land of religious tolerance … unless you happen to be a Christian.
10 Examples Of Persecution in America Today
1. A high school football receiver catches a touchdown pass, points to the sky in thanks, and is suspended from school.
2. A high school coach kneels on the field to pray and is voluntarily joined by his team. He is removed from the job.
3. The student body president of the same school then invites the Satanic Temple of Seattle to its campus.
4. A lesbian couple is suing a Christian school for refusing to teach their child.
5. The anti-Christian Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) is trying to ban Gideon Bibles from public hotel rooms.
6. A Christian baker in Oregon cites his religious beliefs and refuses to bake a gay wedding cake. He is fined $135,000.
7. Numerous Muslim bakeries also refuse to make a gay wedding cake, but are given a free pass by authorities and the media, which pretend it never happened.
8. Two Muslim truck drivers, fired for refusing to deliver beer (citing their religious beliefs), were awarded $240,000 in damages and back pay by a jury.
9. Kentucky city clerk Kim Davis cited religious grounds for refusing to sign wedding certificates to homosexual couples. She was thrown in jail.
10. In Houston, which has an openly gay mayor, city officials subpoenaed the sermons of five pastors who opposed a recently passed equal rights ordinance for gay and transgender residents.
Notice a pattern here? If it’s Christian, “it’s wrong.”
Who’s Fault Is This? A Lot of it is Our Fault
Over the years we, the Christians of America, have allowed godless people to tell godly people what they can and cannot do.
But, it’s not too late to take a stand against “Christian intolerance” and a political correctness that is destroying the very fabric America was founded on.
“God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. “(2Tim. 1:7)
I’m convinced, without a shadow of a doubt, that all these attacks serve to prove that Christianity is the one true religion, and Jesus Christ is the one true God.
Ask yourself, “Would Satan work this hard to destroy Christianity if it were not true?”
“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2 Tim 3:12)
Islam is not being attacked, although Islamic extremism causes death and suffering all over the world.
Just think of the most recent barbaric attacks in Paris that killed 130 innocent people.
Is Hinduism under attack? How about Buddhism? Maybe Sikhism? Agnosticism and atheism certainly are not under attack.
Christians are fair game because, unlike Islamic extremists, they aren’t going to cut anyone’s head off if you criticize them, or don’t believe in Jesus as your Lord and Savior.
Jews are fair game because they are God’s Chosen People.
In society’s zeal to not offend anyone, except Christians, we’re fast losing all the qualities that made this country great.
Fellow Christian, the target is on your back.
The godless attack the godly.
Jesus warned us:
“…If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.” (John 15: 20-21)
Wasn’t America Founded On Christian Principles?
People conveniently forget, or never bothered to learn the history of our great country.
It was founded by CHRISTIANS.
Let me repeat that.
It was founded by Christians who framed the Bill of Rights and our Constitution around Judeo-Christian biblical principles.
Most of the founding fathers were bible scholars or pastors.
They sought to be fair, they sought out the good in man, and not the bad.
They were not Satanists.
They were not politically correct.
They were not godless government bureaucrats. They were men who loved God!
What God Has To Say About The Last Days
“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.” (2 Tim 3:1-5)
4 Ways You Can Overcome When Persecution Comes
1. Suit Up: “Put on the whole armor of God so that you may resist the wiles of the devil.” (See Ephesians 6:11-18).
2. Submit: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)
3. Abide: “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” (See Psalm 91)
4. Pray: Pray for your brothers and sisters around the world for God’s protection and strength. And pray that one day soon Jesus will come for His Church! (1 Thessalonians 5:25)
Excellent and timely message. Thank you dear brother in Christ.
Excellent and timely message. Thank you dear brother in Christ.
I agree with Brad, very timely message. Many American are feeling scared and are anxious about what’s been happening in our country and around the world.
I agree with Brad, very timely message. Many American are feeling scared and are anxious about what’s been happening in our country and around the world.
Brad and Peter, I take great comfort in 1 John 5:5 … Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? And it is with a measure of sadness that I note that one of those killed in the terrorist attack in San Bernardino, Nicholas Thalasinos, 52, is a Messianic Jew. His wife, Jennifer, said: “My husband was just a very devout believer. He became born again a couple of years ago and because of that I had a very strong faith, so I know that he’s in a much better place.” Here is a man who knew Jesus was God!
Brad and Peter, I take great comfort in 1 John 5:5 … Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? And it is with a measure of sadness that I note that one of those killed in the terrorist attack in San Bernardino, Nicholas Thalasinos, 52, is a Messianic Jew. His wife, Jennifer, said: “My husband was just a very devout believer. He became born again a couple of years ago and because of that I had a very strong faith, so I know that he’s in a much better place.” Here is a man who knew Jesus was God!
Your message is timely and extremely spot-on. You can see that even in day to day life, in America, people will act differently ( most often not for the better), when you speak of Christ, God, being blessed or give praise in public. Having said that- this is easy compared to other places and what is to come. I pray we will be bold and exercise our faith and “standing for the Lord” muscles, this is a time of preparation- I believe that we are just in warm-up phase. Thank you for your blog and the word it brings to God’s people.
Cherie Davis, as a Christian you are blessed with the truth and it has set you free. Unfortunately, the world does not know Him. “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.” 1 John 5:20
Your message is timely and extremely spot-on. You can see that even in day to day life, in America, people will act differently ( most often not for the better), when you speak of Christ, God, being blessed or give praise in public. Having said that- this is easy compared to other places and what is to come. I pray we will be bold and exercise our faith and “standing for the Lord” muscles, this is a time of preparation- I believe that we are just in warm-up phase. Thank you for your blog and the word it brings to God’s people.
Cherie Davis, as a Christian you are blessed with the truth and it has set you free. Unfortunately, the world does not know Him. “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.” 1 John 5:20
I love and appreciate the message you wrote. I think it is sad that God is being pushed out of our lives but yet people call to him and wonder why he does not help in their time of need.
One thing that has always bothered me though is the message of this country being founded on “godly principles and greatness.” I can’t help but wonder did God say to enslave his people and kill them because of the color of their skin. The treatment of black people and others who were not white who were worked literally to death to build this nation goes against Jesus telling us to love thy brother. To treat women as unequal and inferior to men. People always say God bless America but didn’t God create the whole world? God made man he did not make different shades of man or certain parts of the world. You are taught a song in Sunday school when you are a youth that states Jesus loves all the little people of the world and their different shades of color. How then can one race mistreat another and say they are doing God’s work and this country is great? We must love all gods people. Especially the ones who want to persecute or kill us for being Christ like. What was Jesus last words on the cross? “Forgive them father for they know not what they do.” The same people he asked God to forgive were his enemy. The same people were beheading, enslaving, stoning and crucifying his followers. I agree this country can be great if we get back to the teaching of Christ.
My point: Being godly does not have exceptions or is it selective to a certain race or gender. Man has made these rules not God. Does man know better than God? If we want the world to stop persecuting us then we also must treat others fairly. We must treat All gods people the right way and finally others will learn from our example. Satan is alive because we allow him to live in our lives as Christians and cast judgement on others and mistreat them but yet we cry out when we are persecuted..There is a difference in being a religious Christian and being Christ like. Christians are not perfect. Christians have killed, started wars and enslaved others in the name of God but yet God has always said to love one another. How do so many Christians leave out ignore those commandments and Jesus’s teachings? America needs more Christ like people and less religious Christians. Man made religion not God. Jesus was not and is not a religion he is God’s example for us to live our lives because man has been doing it wrong since the beginning of time once we first sinned.
Again, I agree with your points in this message and appreciate your words. Man needs to reject our sinful ways and live better holy lives. Yet I ask all of us myself included…are we acting more like Christians or are we being more Christ like? Thank you for your article and may God be allowed to bless not just America but his entire world. Maybe then we will see a change..
Thank you for your comments, Anonymous. When it comes to being Christlike, we are all “works in progress” (especially me) and that includes America. May the Lord bless all His people.
I love and appreciate the message you wrote. I think it is sad that God is being pushed out of our lives but yet people call to him and wonder why he does not help in their time of need.
One thing that has always bothered me though is the message of this country being founded on “godly principles and greatness.” I can’t help but wonder did God say to enslave his people and kill them because of the color of their skin. The treatment of black people and others who were not white who were worked literally to death to build this nation goes against Jesus telling us to love thy brother. To treat women as unequal and inferior to men. People always say God bless America but didn’t God create the whole world? God made man he did not make different shades of man or certain parts of the world. You are taught a song in Sunday school when you are a youth that states Jesus loves all the little people of the world and their different shades of color. How then can one race mistreat another and say they are doing God’s work and this country is great? We must love all gods people. Especially the ones who want to persecute or kill us for being Christ like. What was Jesus last words on the cross? “Forgive them father for they know not what they do.” The same people he asked God to forgive were his enemy. The same people were beheading, enslaving, stoning and crucifying his followers. I agree this country can be great if we get back to the teaching of Christ.
My point: Being godly does not have exceptions or is it selective to a certain race or gender. Man has made these rules not God. Does man know better than God? If we want the world to stop persecuting us then we also must treat others fairly. We must treat All gods people the right way and finally others will learn from our example. Satan is alive because we allow him to live in our lives as Christians and cast judgement on others and mistreat them but yet we cry out when we are persecuted..There is a difference in being a religious Christian and being Christ like. Christians are not perfect. Christians have killed, started wars and enslaved others in the name of God but yet God has always said to love one another. How do so many Christians leave out ignore those commandments and Jesus’s teachings? America needs more Christ like people and less religious Christians. Man made religion not God. Jesus was not and is not a religion he is God’s example for us to live our lives because man has been doing it wrong since the beginning of time once we first sinned.
Again, I agree with your points in this message and appreciate your words. Man needs to reject our sinful ways and live better holy lives. Yet I ask all of us myself included…are we acting more like Christians or are we being more Christ like? Thank you for your article and may God be allowed to bless not just America but his entire world. Maybe then we will see a change..
Thank you for your comments, Anonymous. When it comes to being Christlike, we are all “works in progress” (especially me) and that includes America. May the Lord bless all His people.