Those Aren't Surfing Waters
Greetings in the Lord!
Today I was reading an article from the Christian Century that quoted estimates of some 300,000 Christians that left Syria since March 2011 due to the conflict there. And while some of those Christians say the "revolution" is a conspiracy for the Free Syrian Army to try and establish radical Islam, there are others who see the conflict in opposite views, and still more who are neutral and reminisce about the freedoms they had under an Alawite regime. Even with their differing opinions, all agree about this: Syria is no longer a safe place for Christians to live.
As I read the rest of the article, I was reminded about what I had published in my own book (Fire of the Orange Ball, 2009) about the coming trials of the Syrian Christians. In the fall of 2003, while I was living in Aleppo, the Lord put it on my heart to attend a Catholic Mass in the prominent church downtown. This is an excerpt from what I wrote:
"The service was in Arabic, so I prayed to myself. As I was praying, the Holy Spirit directed me to pray for protection over the Christian Church all throughout the world, but especially for the Middle East, and even for this very church! I understood that much persecution was on the horizon. I opened my eyes and quietly decreed the Lord's safety over the congregation. As I did that the sunlight that was coming in through the windows looked like fire to me. It looked as if it was touching each member in the congregation and swirling over their heads. I decreed that each of the members there would be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and would become "on fire" for the plan that the Lord had for their lives. I discerned that not only did the Lord want to gather His people together to protect them--He wanted to 'reclaim' the land and re-establish His Church in Syria and in the whole world again."
So that time is now....and the persecution in Syria is increasing. In April two bishops, Yohanna Ibrahim, the Syrian Orthodox bishop of the diocese of Aleppo, and Boulos Yazigi, archbishop of the Greek Orthodox diocese of Aleppo, were kidnapped by rebels a week after they issued a warning about the rise of religious intolerance taking place in Syria. Their abduction illustrated the point and also shed new light on the Syrian Christian community's growing fear of a takeover by an Islamist extremist group. Logic stands to reason that this would be a very probable scenario, given that the Assad regime is supported by Shiites and the rebels supported by Sunnis; religious tolerance is not a trademark by either.
Nevertheless, as we observe the situation from across the ocean we, as American Christians, cannot think we are removed from this growing persecution. No, in fact, the tide is fast rising for us. To not recognize this is the same as the man who built his house upon the sand. When the storms come, his house will be swept away. What storms, you ask? Let me give you a simple example. While returning from Saudi Arabia I was approached casually by man about my same age in the Frankfurt airport. He spoke to me in German at first, and in my rudimentary learning of the language I responded to his inquiry about the newspaper article I was reading. However, by his nonsensical question and look alone I knew he worked for a military or government. No complete stranger who wants to start a conversation with a 6'4" woman ever begins with anything other than the obvious: my height. He continued trying to engage me in conversation by saying he'd lived in America 30 years, blah, blah, blah, but I ignored him and moved away. Am I being overly suspicious? Nope...read on.
However, he "coincidentally" sat behind me on my flight to Denver, and then approached me again at the baggage carousel, whereupon he began, now in a perfect American accent, to ask me more pointed questions about where I had been living, what I had been doing there, and the like. Oh, getting more direct with me. Well, I turned the tables on him and started asking him questions, and he sputtered, finally admitting, that he did indeed work for "our government." Then he said two things that he obviously wanted me to ponder: 1) "Thanks for being such a good role model out there," and 2) "I hope the next thing I read about you is good."
Obviously this "complete stranger" had done some homework on me and wanted me to know that my blog is under surveillance. Is my situation an isolated case? No way! Christians who write or speak out publically about anything political or prophesy about world events can come under scrutiny in the U.S. these days. Hear the word of the Lord:
"All this I have told you so that you will not go astray. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. I have told you all this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I warned you." John 16:1-4.
That time is fast coming for American Christians, like it is already for the Church in many places, that religious persecution is on the increase and that freedom of speech (pertaining to Christian viewpoints especially) is under attack. This word of the Lord was reiterated by a dream I had today.
In this dream from the Lord I saw a huge tidal wave looming over the coastline and finally sweep over the land with a ferocious roar. But instead of being afraid, I was in a house high above the coastline on a cliff side, just watching the amazing sight. The blue of the ocean water was stunning and the cresting of the enormous waves were awe-inspiring, so much that I hung my head out of the backdoor of the house to watch it sweep by our door. But to my surprise the thick blue wave did not touch the house, as if we were in an invisible bubble. God will protect us. Though the storms and waters will rise and rage against us, those who seek out higher ground will come out just fine. The last thing I remember about the dream was that there were people trying to swim and surf in the giant waves, only to disappear under the majestic waters.
The tide is changing and the waters of persecution are rising, American Church. Get up to high ground and be alert--be aware of the treacherous lowlands of complacency, ignorance, and arrogance. The one who sees trouble and continues on in the same way is foolish. But for those of us who seek God's guidance and wisdom, we can find our refuge in Him. He will fill our mouths with His words and direct our footsteps so as not to stumble and be swept away. We are entering a new season with this Obama administration, and likewise, with many other regimes around the world.
So, to the whole Church of our Lord Jesus, let's remember this:
"I lift up my eyes to the hill--where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip--He who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
...The Lord will keep you from all harm--He will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore."
Psalm 121:1-4, 7-8.
~Be blessed and be a blessing.
Today I was reading an article from the Christian Century that quoted estimates of some 300,000 Christians that left Syria since March 2011 due to the conflict there. And while some of those Christians say the "revolution" is a conspiracy for the Free Syrian Army to try and establish radical Islam, there are others who see the conflict in opposite views, and still more who are neutral and reminisce about the freedoms they had under an Alawite regime. Even with their differing opinions, all agree about this: Syria is no longer a safe place for Christians to live.
As I read the rest of the article, I was reminded about what I had published in my own book (Fire of the Orange Ball, 2009) about the coming trials of the Syrian Christians. In the fall of 2003, while I was living in Aleppo, the Lord put it on my heart to attend a Catholic Mass in the prominent church downtown. This is an excerpt from what I wrote:
"The service was in Arabic, so I prayed to myself. As I was praying, the Holy Spirit directed me to pray for protection over the Christian Church all throughout the world, but especially for the Middle East, and even for this very church! I understood that much persecution was on the horizon. I opened my eyes and quietly decreed the Lord's safety over the congregation. As I did that the sunlight that was coming in through the windows looked like fire to me. It looked as if it was touching each member in the congregation and swirling over their heads. I decreed that each of the members there would be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and would become "on fire" for the plan that the Lord had for their lives. I discerned that not only did the Lord want to gather His people together to protect them--He wanted to 'reclaim' the land and re-establish His Church in Syria and in the whole world again."
So that time is now....and the persecution in Syria is increasing. In April two bishops, Yohanna Ibrahim, the Syrian Orthodox bishop of the diocese of Aleppo, and Boulos Yazigi, archbishop of the Greek Orthodox diocese of Aleppo, were kidnapped by rebels a week after they issued a warning about the rise of religious intolerance taking place in Syria. Their abduction illustrated the point and also shed new light on the Syrian Christian community's growing fear of a takeover by an Islamist extremist group. Logic stands to reason that this would be a very probable scenario, given that the Assad regime is supported by Shiites and the rebels supported by Sunnis; religious tolerance is not a trademark by either.
Nevertheless, as we observe the situation from across the ocean we, as American Christians, cannot think we are removed from this growing persecution. No, in fact, the tide is fast rising for us. To not recognize this is the same as the man who built his house upon the sand. When the storms come, his house will be swept away. What storms, you ask? Let me give you a simple example. While returning from Saudi Arabia I was approached casually by man about my same age in the Frankfurt airport. He spoke to me in German at first, and in my rudimentary learning of the language I responded to his inquiry about the newspaper article I was reading. However, by his nonsensical question and look alone I knew he worked for a military or government. No complete stranger who wants to start a conversation with a 6'4" woman ever begins with anything other than the obvious: my height. He continued trying to engage me in conversation by saying he'd lived in America 30 years, blah, blah, blah, but I ignored him and moved away. Am I being overly suspicious? Nope...read on.
However, he "coincidentally" sat behind me on my flight to Denver, and then approached me again at the baggage carousel, whereupon he began, now in a perfect American accent, to ask me more pointed questions about where I had been living, what I had been doing there, and the like. Oh, getting more direct with me. Well, I turned the tables on him and started asking him questions, and he sputtered, finally admitting, that he did indeed work for "our government." Then he said two things that he obviously wanted me to ponder: 1) "Thanks for being such a good role model out there," and 2) "I hope the next thing I read about you is good."
Obviously this "complete stranger" had done some homework on me and wanted me to know that my blog is under surveillance. Is my situation an isolated case? No way! Christians who write or speak out publically about anything political or prophesy about world events can come under scrutiny in the U.S. these days. Hear the word of the Lord:
"All this I have told you so that you will not go astray. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. I have told you all this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I warned you." John 16:1-4.
That time is fast coming for American Christians, like it is already for the Church in many places, that religious persecution is on the increase and that freedom of speech (pertaining to Christian viewpoints especially) is under attack. This word of the Lord was reiterated by a dream I had today.
In this dream from the Lord I saw a huge tidal wave looming over the coastline and finally sweep over the land with a ferocious roar. But instead of being afraid, I was in a house high above the coastline on a cliff side, just watching the amazing sight. The blue of the ocean water was stunning and the cresting of the enormous waves were awe-inspiring, so much that I hung my head out of the backdoor of the house to watch it sweep by our door. But to my surprise the thick blue wave did not touch the house, as if we were in an invisible bubble. God will protect us. Though the storms and waters will rise and rage against us, those who seek out higher ground will come out just fine. The last thing I remember about the dream was that there were people trying to swim and surf in the giant waves, only to disappear under the majestic waters.
The tide is changing and the waters of persecution are rising, American Church. Get up to high ground and be alert--be aware of the treacherous lowlands of complacency, ignorance, and arrogance. The one who sees trouble and continues on in the same way is foolish. But for those of us who seek God's guidance and wisdom, we can find our refuge in Him. He will fill our mouths with His words and direct our footsteps so as not to stumble and be swept away. We are entering a new season with this Obama administration, and likewise, with many other regimes around the world.
So, to the whole Church of our Lord Jesus, let's remember this:
"I lift up my eyes to the hill--where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip--He who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
...The Lord will keep you from all harm--He will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore."
Psalm 121:1-4, 7-8.
~Be blessed and be a blessing.
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