Ioan Gruffudd - William Wilberforce

. . . is a conservative Christian intellectual with many interests (academic degrees unnecessary). He likes music, movies, history, and literature.

. . . loves God and people with his whole heart, and humbly serves them. He loves, blesses, and prays for strangers and enemies, too, not just his friends.

. . . sees as God sees = the heart, not the outer package. He isn’t superficial. (1 Samuel 16:7)

. . . dresses his soul more richly than his body.

. . . has radical faith that moves mountains. He’s a water walker, not a boat person! He loves “Facing the Giants” (2006) and “Faith like Potatoes” (2006). He understands who God is and how He works.

Frank Rautenbach - Angus Buchan

. . . has the integrity, passion, and purity of William Tyndale (c.1494-1536), “God’s Outlaw” (1986) ; William Wilberforce (1759-1833), “Amazing Grace” (2006); Frederick Aiken (1837-1878), “The Conspirator” (2011); and Angus Buchan (1947-), “Faith Like Potatoes” (2006).

. . . has the compassion, patience, and kindness of Colonel Brandon, “Sense & Sensibility” (2008), and David McCune, “Follow the Stars Home” (2001).

. . . is wise and mature, with a clean sense of fun.

James McAvoy - Frederick Aiken

. . . loves to look at my face as if it were cold, refreshing ice cream on a hot summer day. Yet he loves my heart, mind, and soul more than my body. Appearances aren’t everything!

. . . would die rather than see me crying or in pain. He would also die before offending others.

. . . would follow me into a women’s public restroom if he thought I were sick or upset.

. . . loves my pregnant belly. He’ll rub my feet, place his head on my tummy, and sing to our baby. He’ll read the Bible and pray over our little one too!

. . . is a patient, caring father who will rear our children “in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4, KJV). He’ll know when to hold on and when to let go.

CONCLUSION

Does such a man exist? If God has put this desire in my heart, surely he does. Yet I also have to be the woman this man wants to marry, which means God has a lot of work to do!

Some people think we shouldn’t make a list of desirable traits in a future spouse. But why not? We know God wants his best for us in everything. That includes marriage. If I’m going to give my body to my future husband in sex (which is a serious act of love), if my children are going to have his DNA, if I’m going to live with him for the rest of our lives, then I want the best!

My fear is that too many people settle for less than God’s best in a spouse. Then they wonder why they’re unhappy or how the marriage has ended in divorce. Did they pray enough, seeking God’s will? Did they look earnestly for Mr. or Ms. Right? Did they desire God’s best? I don’t know.

I still believe we singles should make a list. We should know what we want in a future spouse. Marriage and parenting are too important for us just to wish that some day we’ll find the right person.

I gave up on soft drinks years ago, even though I drink one occasionally (every few months or so). And yet I find this argument ridiculous. There probably are many chemicals in various foods on the market today. Yet they’re still natural, God-made and God-given foods – with nutrients our bodies need to function and grow. Potato chips come from potatoes – a rich source of vitamins B6 and C, potassium, and carbohydrates. Soft drinks at least contain water – something our bodies need. I could go on, but I won’t.

Is there any nutrition in alcohol? I think not. Alcohol is a mind- and body-altering substance. It slows the heart rate, blurs vision, and makes people do things they don’t remember – or regret if they do. Alcohol can kill a person directly if he or she drinks too much in too short a time; it can waste the liver. And it can kill a person indirectly if he or she is the victim of a drunk driver. Alcohol hurts the body.

So do cigarettes. Who wants bad breath or a hacking cough, due to emphysema? Who wants stained fingers and teeth? Who wants a nicotine addiction? Who wants the possibility of killing family members (including unborn babies and children) over time because of second-hand smoke? There is no nutrition in cigarettes. They hurt the body.

Does junk food do any of this? Can too much of it kill – directly or indirectly? No. I’m not going to get into the obesity argument. The best advice is “all things in moderation.” But that is NOT true for alcohol and cigarettes. Even a little is too much. I think abstaining is a better policy.

I could use the argument that spending one’s money on alcohol and cigarettes is wasted – because it ends up in the toilet. Yet everything we eat and drink passes through our bodies and ends up in the toilet. So wouldn’t it be better to consume things that help our bodies, not hurt them? And wouldn’t it be better to be addicted to Jesus – not alcohol and cigarettes? Because we are supposed to be addicted to someone in this life – the Holy Spirit! We’re supposed to be drunk on Him, not mind- and-body altering substances.

Just something to think about. . . .

Bible verses

Jeremiah 23:9: “My heart within me is broken Because of the prophets; All my bones shake. I am like a drunken man, And like a man whom wine has overcome, Because of the LORD, And because of His holy words.”

John 7:37-39: “On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

Acts 2:4, 12-15: “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. … So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘Whatever could this mean?’ Others mocking said, ‘They are full of new wine.’ But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, ‘Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.’”

Ephesians 5:18: “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.”

1 Thessalonians 5:7-8: “For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.”

“I found Friday had still a hankering Stomach after some of the flesh and was still a Cannibal in his Nature.” ~ Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe (1719)

After Robinson Crusoe rescues and civilizes Friday, a cannibal of the Carib tribe, he discovers that Friday is “still a Cannibal in his Nature.” What does this mean? Friday isn’t a real Christian yet. He needs further instruction in and needs to experience what true Christianity is: a personal encounter with Jesus Christ, which produces radical change – spiritual transformation.

Friday’s spiritual condition, as noted in the above quotation, describes a lot of so-called Christians today. They call themselves “Christians” and yet they’ve never been spiritually transformed. There are “Christian gays” and “Christian alcoholics” and “Christian stars” and “Christian rockers.” [If you want my thoughts on the last two, message me.] What’s next: Christian belly dancers?! These are all oxymorons. You can’t be _ [pick a sin] and be a Christian.

For example, a homosexual can call him or herself a Christian. They can never have gay sex. Yet if they identify with the lifestyle and have homosexual desires, they’re still homosexuals – still unregenerate sinners – and they haven’t changed. They haven’t been transformed by Jesus Christ. There are also dry alcoholics and non-practicing drug addicts. The desire is still there. They haven’t changed. All these people wear, live, and breathe the old Adam. The old sinful nature is still there.

One problem is that many of these “Christians” have been lied to. They think they can’t change. They think they were born this way, with X sin, and nothing can change that fact. I think people can be born with specific sins. But whether or not they are doesn’t change the fact that we are all born with a sinful nature. We’re all born wearing, living, and breathing the old Adam. Being captive to a specific sin doesn’t matter. We must all still change. We must all be transformed in order to see Christ in heaven. And countless people have changed. God can transform the Adam nature into the Christ nature. When God changes people, when He transforms them spiritually, both the sinful nature and specific sins leave. Alcoholics and drug addicts can testify to instant and miraculous change. So do gays. When they get saved, they’re not gay anymore!

Another problem is that some “Christians” don’t believe they need to change in order to enter heaven. They think if they were born with X sin and God made them that way, then He must accept them the way they are – without radical transformation. This is also a lie. God commands in scripture (see below) that in order to see the kingdom of God (heaven), people must be born again. They must radically change. Yes, God made us in His image. And everything He makes is perfect. But these “Christians” have refused to receive the truth that they are born with a sinful nature. They are imperfect beings. So they must blame Adam for their sins, general and specific, not God. There is no sin past the gate of heaven. When people are truly transformed by God, they agree with Him in His Word that X is sin and must be repented of. They practice virtue, not vice.

The message of the gospel is to repent of (turn from) sin and believe in Jesus and let him change us. Yes, God loves us in our sin. But he loves us so much he doesn’t want to leave us that way. And if we want to enter heaven and be with God, we don’t want to be left that way either. In his mercy, God changes us. And we all have to be changed and transformed by God in order to be saved and see heaven. Radical change – radical spiritual transformation – is possible! Nothing is impossible with God. Nothing.

There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel’s veins;

And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.

Lose all their guilty stains, lose all their guilty stains;

And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/t/f/tfountfb.htm

What’s the point in these lyrics? The blood of Christ can overcome the guilt, power, and penalty of any sin. And Christ came to save us from sin (see Romans 6:23, 1 Corinthians 7:9-11).

The New Birth: God’s Word

John 1:12-13: “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

John 3:3-7: “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, You must be born again.’”

1 Corinthians 15:8: “Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.”

2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

Galatians 6:15: “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.”

1 Peter 1:23: “. . .having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.”

1 John 2:29: “If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.”

1 John 3:9-10: “Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.”

1 John 4:7: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.”

1 John 5:1, 4, 18: “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. … For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. … We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.”

The timing of Moore’s death astounds me. Walden Media president Micheal Flaherty will be at the NRB Convention (Nashville, TN) next Sunday, while Lewis’s stepson (and executive producer) Douglas Gresham will be at Liberty University (Lynchburg, VA) the following Monday. Both venues are known for their evangelical standards. I am certain that in the wake of Perry’s death, all eyes will be on Flaherty and Gresham. What will they say about him?

Why do I even ask this? Because more than one news report, and quite a few Narnia friends, called Perry a “gay Christian.” The man was openly gay, living with a “partner.” Yet they think Perry went to heaven, to Aslan’s country. But he didn’t. I know with certainty in my heart that he went to hell.

The tragedy is that Perry thought he was a Christian, with no thought of hell. He probably believed he couldn’t change, or didn’t need to, for God to accept him and take him to heaven.

The Christian community – the Christians he met on the Narnia sets and worked with and went to church with – failed Perry Moore. They didn’t have the moral courage to stand up for the truth, to say to Perry, “You can’t be gay and be a Christian.” They didn’t tell him that unless he repented and changed, unless he was born again, he wouldn’t go to heaven but to hell.

What’s frightening is that the Christians surrounding Perry probably believe the same thing he did. They, along with countless other Christians and churches and homosexuals, have believed the lie – straight from the pit of hell – that one can be gay and be a Christian. One can’t change or doesn’t have to change for God to accept that person into heaven. These people have made the way to heaven broad and wide, instead of straight and narrow. There’s no mention of holiness. They may not even believe in it.

Yet I also failed Perry Moore. I wanted him to get saved, marry, and have a family. I wanted Perry to be a shining example of how God can transform a homosexual. But that didn’t happen. God took him. Why? I failed Perry because I didn’t pray for him. I had hopes, dreams, and wishes – but I didn’t pray. Salvation doesn’t happen by osmosis. We can’t just wish and hope for something. We must pray. Because there comes a point when God says it’s too late. I guess he decided Perry had had enough opportunities to repent, so he took him – straight to hell.

1. I pray God humiliates “Christian” Narnia. I pray he wakes them up to truth and holiness.
2. I pray God clears up the moral confusion, once and for all, regarding homosexuality and salvation.
3. I pray God lets the church and Narnians (cast, crew, fans) proclaim the truth – loud and clear so that all can hear it – that one can’t be gay and be a Christian. He or she has to change – be born again (transformed) from above by water and the Spirit.
4. I pray God saves a homosexual in the media, leading him or her to marry and raise a family – and proclaim the same truth that one can’t be a “gay Christian.” I pray God shows the world what he can do!

If you want more information on homosexuality and the new birth/transformation, check out my notes “The Necessity of the New Birth” and “Homosexuality: A Crisis in the Church and in Western Culture.”

PS. If you want to argue with me, go ahead. But I won’t respond to comments. Argue it out among yourselves.

Think about this: We’re letting the world decide the standard of beauty. And we’re trying to please them, not God. The world today focuses on the body as the emblem of beauty: face, hair, body shape, weight, and clothing – or lack thereof. They don’t see a beautiful mind, heart, or soul because that can’t be seen with the natural eye. True beauty is faith in Christ. It makes up the whole person: body, mind, heart, and soul. Faith can’t be seen with natural eyes either. But God sees it. Is there room for this in the fashion world today? No.

Another problem is this: we’re drawing attention to ourselves. What’s Christian about that? Shouldn’t our attitude be one of humility? Shouldn’t we seek to draw attention to Jesus instead? We didn’t die on a cross. We didn’t take away the sins of the world. We didn’t overcome death and hell.

Jesus never walked a runway for others to gaze at him. He didn’t wear nice clothes. Instead, Jesus walked the Via Dolorosa – the way of suffering. He walked to Calvary, carrying a cross on his back. When first-century Jews and Gentiles gazed at Jesus on the cross, did they see beauty – even by their standards? Probably not. Isaiah 53:2 (NKJV): “He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.” I fully believe this passage is talking about Jesus on the cross, not what he looked like the rest of his natural days. I don’t think Jesus was an ugly man. Others who’ve seen him (with the heart) have assured me he isn’t.

Does the fashion world shape character? Yes. When we participate in a fashion shoot or walk a runway (whatever our gender), we’re training ourselves, our children – everyone who sees us – to want the world’s values and definition of beauty. Each moment in our lives matters, for character is made up of single moments. We reap a character from each thought, word, and deed. The Christian life should have no isolated incidents. There shouldn’t be anything in our lives for us to have to explain to others. This is integrity: moral consistency in light and darkness, both with witnesses and without. We must keep our hearts pure. And I believe accepting the fashion world’s values and standard of beauty for even a moment corrupts one’s heart.

Just some things to think about. . . .

UPDATE: Check out my blog post “True Beauty” on Aslan’s Country, in the Christian Narnia series “Aslan’s Meditations.”

1. She bugs people about something until it happens or they give it to her.
2. She can’t wait for anything, wanting things or events now – that very day or hour.

So, are we willing to be as persistent with God in prayer? The widow was with the unjust judge! [Luke 18:1-7]

Yet children are usually impatient. They live in a timeless “now.” However, the mark of an adult is patience – learning to wait. How do we act when God promises us something, or when we ask for something? Are we willing to wait?

There’s a time for everything. When God says “wait,” he knows exactly what he’s doing. We’ll be blessed in the waiting. Don’t let that time be empty, spent in angst. Learn to trust and depend on God.

Other lessons on waiting

Questioning God – His timing, judgment, actions, and promises – is STUPID! People think it’s a sign of maturity/growth when they question God or their faith. Wrong! This is moral and spiritual degeneration! Who are we to question God? He knows exactly what he’s doing.

Yesterday I remembered a line in the movie “You’ve Got Mail.” Tom Hanks’ character tells Meg Ryan’s character, “He’s waiting until you’re primed.” When she is, he reveals himself as her online friend. Yes, the context is romance. But God does the same with us – romance, promises, the next step in our relationship. He knows when we’re ready. We don’t, certainly not when we think we are. When we’re primed, God will reveal himself [or a spouse, new friend, or job] to us.

I heard an anecdote in church yesterday. The speaker said there shouldn’t be any cracks in our relationship with God – just like there shouldn’t be any cracks in pottery. When a piece of pottery on a shelf cracks, a seller will put sand in it to heal the cracks. But a connoisseur will take the piece of pottery out in the sun. In time, the cracks will show. Maybe this is where some people are in their relationship with God. They wonder why they feel like they’re spiritually being dried out in the sun, with no water. God has put them there to make any cracks show – cracks in the relationship. He wants to heal those cracks. But first they have to come to the surface in the sun. We need valley and sun experiences. It shows God has taken us off the shelf and plans to use us in his kingdom – when and how he chooses. But first all the cracks in our relationship must be brought to the surface and healed. Only then will he use us.

There are many things we don’t understand. But we don’t have to and we’re not supposed to. God will give us understanding when it’s time. We must learn to wait.

But guess what? History repeats itself.

In Genesis 41, God told Pharaoh that Egypt would experience seven years of plenty, then seven years of famine. This happened once in history, literally. It will happen again soon, spiritually. Why? Because history repeats itself. God’s words to Pharaoh apply to us today. The world will experience seven years of revival (spiritual plenty), then seven years of tribulation (spiritual famine). And I believe the rapture of the church will take place at the end of the first seven years.

Everyone knows about the political unrest in Egypt. But what does it mean for the church and for the end times? In his perfect timing, God led me to read a Bible quote yesterday on Facebook from Exodus 3. God tells Moses to tell Israel, “I am that I am.” This is what will get us through the coming storm. God is leading his people out. God is calling his Moseses and Josephs to face Pharaoh and bring deliverance!

Expect the unexpected. When Jesus came to this earth the first time, in his perfect wisdom he used the Gentiles to shame the Jews, the poor to shame the rich, and the unschooled to shame the wise. The same will happen again during the coming world revival. Whom does the church despise: Hollywood, the liberal media, sinners, Muslims, Buddhists, others? That is whom God will save and use to bring revival. I don’t think he’ll use a lot of people within the church.

The established church will receive a deep shock to its system. God will rip the gospel out of their hands and give it to people who will use it rightly! From Jews to Gentiles then, from the church to sinners now. Only one person from the establishment is recorded to have made it into the first-century church: Paul. What the Jews waited for, for so long, they missed. God bypassed them! Instead he used people formerly “unclean,” and cleaned them up. Check out the Bible passages below to see what I mean.

Isaiah 35, 43:19-21, 51:3
Matthew 8:11-12, 19:30, 20:16, 21:41-43
Luke 13:28-30, 14:23-24, 15:11-32
Acts 13:46-48
1 Corinthians 1:18-29

The idea that British atheist, Darwin descendant, and actor Skandar Keynes could be an instrument of God’s salvation to the UK sounds like a pipedream to some. But it will happen. Georgie Henley, Ben Barnes, Will Poulter, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Tilda Swinton – all are Narnia actors. And all will be saved. Does that sound impossible? It isn’t. Nothing is impossible with God. Or how about Simon Cowell, atheist Daniel Radcliffe (aka Harry Potter), and pop star Harry Styles (from the band One Direction). Will they be saved? Can God use them as his instruments in the UK? Maybe. Nothing is impossible with God. Expect the unexpected! Expect the church to be humiliated!

Read Michael Edds’ blog post “A vision of the final great awakening” to find out what to expect during the coming world revival. http://greatawakening.blogspot.com/2011/01/vision-of-final-great-awakening.html

Sermon: Ezra-Nehemiah partnership

Text: Ezra 7-9, Nehemiah 8

-Ezra: priest and pastor, moral and spiritual leader. Nehemiah: layman, political and social leader.

-We must be salt and light in the culture. God wants to be glorified in every aspect of the culture.

-There’s a current divide between church and culture. This is the devil’s work. He’s moved the church into the private sector, so that religion and Christians have no place in the public square. But this is where God wants to be. When religion invades the public square [eye, media] = city and nationwide revival!

-The church has been preaching a counter-culture message of truth. We can’t leave this. But we must also do the following if we expect the culture to listen and change.

1. Para-culture = preach love. Be priestly and incarnational. [Anecdote: A Hindu woman was saved through love and then truth. Then 230 Hindus followed her into the kingdom!]

2. Church diaspora, intra-cultural = power of salt. What broken places and people has God placed near you?

3. Prayer = prayer-walk a city and expect God to act!

-The church is in slices. We have no power/influence in various social sectors. But as individual Nehemiah/laymen Christians, we can influence each slice of the city.

-Revival: Nehemiah – process for city impact; Ezra – foundation of prayer; sovereign touch of God.

-Revival core = Ezra 7:8-10. Revival must be word-centered, not experience-centered. Ezra prepared his heart to seek the law, obey it, and teach it. We must prepare our hearts for the word through prayer. It all starts with one person obeying and applying the word to his/her life.

-Power of one: Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, Charles Finney, Evan Roberts.

-We need revival that will paralyze a city and bring it to its knees in prayer and repentance.

-Four keys of revival [according to Evan Roberts]

1. Repent: the church has rationalized sin away. In addressing legalism, we lost holiness. The culture isn’t awed by the holiness of God. And neither are we. When sinners see us repent – when they see us model faith, repentance, and holiness – they will too.

2. Stop every doubtful habit. That includes sports and other entertainments. We can’t have anything that obsesses us that isn’t God. Our one obsession should be Jesus. If he isn’t, we must repent.

3. Go public with your witness. We can’t be undercover Christians. If we’re ashamed of Jesus on this earth, he’ll be ashamed of us before his father in heaven.

4. Humbly follow the gentle promptings of the Spirit. Obey when he speaks. Every day, prepare your heart to listen and obey.

Location: Abba’s House, Chattanooga, TN

Speaker: Tommy Bates

Text: Psalm 102:16-22 [esp. verse 18]

-Music was created in the devil’s body, through movement. When he moved among the stones of fire [see Ezekiel 28], the angels sang holy holy holy. But the devil had sin: he wanted independence/freedom from God’s word and will. When he and 1/3 of angels left, there was no music. God’s plan: create free moral agents who will praise him because they want to, who will choose to be connected to him, word, and will.

-Jesus: 6’2, dark curly hair, green eyes, olive skin, bulky/muscular.

-Preachers: creation [Genesis], conscience [flood], law [Moses], prophets [Isaiah], Jesus [grace, mercy].

-Jesus came to earth to pay the price of sin on the cross. The death demon took his soul when Jesus died. He entered the heart of the earth [Ephesians 4:9], like Jonah in the whale. Jesus put his bloody foot on Satan’s head. He took the keys of hell/death. He took the thief, John the Baptist, and other OT saints.

-Earth: dead, dry seed/womb. Atonement produced life, germination.

-God said, the ransom has been paid. It’s time for a new creation! Psalm 102:18: “The people shall be created shall praise the Lord.” We have Satan’s job! What gives hell a stomach-ache is people praising God as an act of their will, when everything goes wrong: prison, suffering, pain, darkness, death. Circumstances don’t matter because God doesn’t change. [Psalm 22, Jonah 2]

-Acts 15:16-17: in last days, God will rebuild tabernacle of David. Haggai 1:7, 2:7-9: build tabernacle!

-Seven key phrases/words of Davidic praise:

1. Zamar: music we play and listen to

2. Barach: kneel, spiritual posture

3. Tehillah: hem, personal story

4. Todah: lift up holy hands, hallelujah

5. Yadah: lift up holy hands, overcome

6. Shabbach: when the pressure’s up, wooh!

7. Hallel: foolish praise, boasting in God

-Davidic praise will usher in health, wealth, influence. [?]

-Believe God can create something out of nothing, life out of death, clean out of unclean, good out of bad, light out of darkness. How? Through the Word!

“The dead do not praise the LORD, Nor any who go down into silence.” ~ Psalm 115:17, NKJV

When we call ourselves Christians but don’t praise God, we tell others we’re spiritually dead – like unbelievers. We let suffering [etc] silence us. This is what the devil wants! Don’t give him that. Instead, give the devil and all of hell a stomach-ache! Praise God as an act of your will, when everything goes wrong: prison, suffering, pain, darkness, death. Circumstances don’t matter because God doesn’t change!

“I will give her her vineyards from there, and the valley of achor as a door of hope; she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.” ~ Hosea 2:15

Streams in the Desert, “Rejoice in the Flood”

Songs

“Desert song”

“I bless your name”

“All my praise”

“He’s God”