Fearless

Matthew Ayars, a missionary in Haiti and who is president of the Emmaus Biblical Seminary there and author of several books, wrote the following and I considered it worthy to re-post.  It comes to my mind that we live in a fearful time.  When over 60% of Americans believe their children will not live to the standard that they are currently living, people are fearful.  When a son in college has to receive a call and learn that his Mom, whom he has a very close relationship with, has died unexpectedly, he is fearful.  When we are forced to enter into new life circumstances for which we did not plan, whether it is death of loved ones, absence of loved ones, rejection of loved ones, pain from loved ones, or something else, we are fearful.  We must determine in our faith to be fearless.  God did not bring us this far to leave us now!

FEARLESS

The Bible is full of commands. The most popular commands of scripture are the Ten Commandments. Anyone who went to Sunday School as a child were probably taught the Ten Commandments.

There are other commands in the Bible as well. The Jewish tradition has at its core the 613 commands of the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament). That means that there are 613 commands in Genesis through Deuteronomy alone. That’s a lot of commands!

Of all the commands in the Bible, do you know which one appears more than any other? N.T. Wright says, “What do you think–‘Be good’? Be holy, for I am holy’? Or, negatively, ‘Don’t sin’? ‘Don’t be immoral’? No. The most frequent command in the Bible is: ‘Don’t be afraid’. Don’t be afraid. Fear not, Don’t be afraid.’” (Wright, Following Jesus, 56).

This may come as a surprise to some, and a refreshing reminder to others. We must not forget that at the heart of the Christian faith is fearlessness. God is adamant that his people be free from fear.

I believe that his reminder is timely in light of violence saturated current events as well as swelling efforts to deconstruct and expel the culture-defining moral core of contemporary Christian culture in the name of tolerance. The primary tool in the hands of the aggressive agenda for dramatic cultural reform associated with political correctness and sexualization of culture is fear and intimidation. Ironic, isn’t is, that the very thing that has been villianized for the sake of the cause has become the very tool employed to drive forward that same cause. Fear hasn’t been so near to us since World War II.

In the midst of the anxiety and concern, the Bible says to those whose lives are hidden in Christ, “Do not fear.” The Kingdom of God doesn’t advance by way of fear; rather, it advances by way of love, forgiveness, and reconciliation. God doesn’t scare people into doing his will. People do not obey Jesus because they fear him, they obey Jesus because they love him.

The cause of Christ does not intimidate and it does not make threats or ultimatums. The cause of Christ is marked by self-giving love. We look to the death of Christ as the ultimate testimony that he does, in fact, have our best interest at heart. He wants us to know more than anything else that he can be trusted because he loves us.

John says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love” (1 Jn 4:18).

Finally, N.T. Wright challenges us with this, “Let’s make no mistake about it: util you learn to live without fear you won’t find it easy to follow Jesus” (Wright, Following Jesus, 56).

Simple Prayer for Today

John 16:23  Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.

I continue to reflect on some one-liners that I heard while working an Emmaus walk a couple of weeks ago.  One was "Pray your steps.  Your heart, head, and feet need to be in the same place."  At first, it wasn't clear what this person was talking about, but upon reflection, it is as simple as taking everything to God in prayer.  Everything we desire, think, and do each and every day should be subject to prayer and yielded to God.  Often we relegate our prayer lives to those things we cannot control: health and death, while we assume control of all the rest of the aspects of our busy lives.  Yet nothing in our life escapes God's attention nor is it unimportant to Him.  I believe we need to pray about all of our activities, desires, and thoughts such that God can reveal His will in everything. 
Today my prayer is simple and singularly focused on my friends Andrew, Ben and Diana.  Everything else in life right now has faded to the point of being unimportant and irrelevant.   I don't know exactly why tragedies occur especially in the lives of the undeserving, but I take the next step in confidence knowing that God loves them and is with them through all of life including this overwhelming event.  May He provide miraculous comfort and peace in the midst of this storm as He has done faithfully before.   

Quotable Quotes

1 John 3:16  This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

I heard a preacher the other day say "The root word of miser is miserable.  If you find yourself short on joy, open your hands in service to others."  What a counter-cultural thing to say and believe.  It seems to me that if you're feeling down and blue, one should focus on their own self-interests: read a book, go fishing or hunting, travel and escape the madness, go out and party - whatever your interest, you should pursue it to "pull yourself up by your bootstraps and get over your issues."  Yet this guy is telling me that being a miser, (one who selfishly keeps all they earn), is miserable. 
I know when I'm in a season of extreme busy-ness, its hard to get excited about volunteering to spend my remaining time in service to others.  Yet Jesus tells us to "lay down" our lives for others.  In fact, in John 15, we're told that our joy is only complete when we obey God and Jesus goes on to give us one command: love one another. 
I find this time of year following the extreme joy of the holiday season when the days are short and cold and its neither fishing nor hunting season, a time that can be kind of blue.  Perhaps this is the time to seek God's guidance as to how I'm to reach out to others in service and love.

Rainy Day

I must admit that when I first read this line of this poem, Rainy Day, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, I wasn’t sure what “repining” meant.  Repining means to fret; to feel or express discontent.  I think this single line expresses a proper perspective on how we are to see our “rainy days”, where rainy days signifies those emotionally down days or lonely times.  Longfellow purposely directs his own sad heart instructing it to not repine, the sun is still shining whether he can see it or not.  How wise this is and what an excellent expression of the reality of God for us.

The Lord’s light always shines.  It never diminishes.  The Lord is and ever shall be.  It is important to recognize that although we think the world revolves around us, it doesn’t.  Those things that hurt us so badly aren’t really that important in the context of reality.  The Lord’s light still shines and it shines so brightly we can’t possibly look fully into it.  The same Lord who loves you just as you are and who calls you to come to Him, His light does not diminish. 

We get the opportunity to reach out to one another and to encourage one another.  We get to remind each other that “behind the clouds is the sun still shining”.  This happened to me on Thursday.  Out of nowhere, I got a text from someone I might only see once a year when he visits his father.  Although I have known him for many years, we never spend much time together.  I actually thought that the text was an accident, but after I read it, I knew it wasn’t, even if it was.

The text referenced Isaiah 61:1-3.  It said, “’The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because … He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, … to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.’  Christ came not only to forgive sins, but to heal our broken hearts.”  Why would I receive such a random text at such a random time from someone I see for only a few minutes every year or every other year?  It was, of course, God reassuring to me a message I needed to hear. 

We are the transport vehicles God can use to encourage one another.  We are able to testify of God’s faithfulness and in doing fan the fire of another’s faith that might be dwindling in their cloudy rainy day.  It is so very hard to want to do anything when you are emotionally exhausted.  Remember today that the sun is still shining above those clouds that are in your life.  And that sun is greater than everything that exists.  There is nothing that will keep God’s light from reaching you.

Dear Lord, please help me to see Your light today.  Help me to feel the warmth in my heart and the wrap of your arms over me.  Trade my ashes, mourning, and despair into beauty, joy, and praise.  Lead me away from repining in full knowledge and faith that you are forevermore and above all things that ever will be.  Through the light of Your Son I pray, Amen.

Self-Condemnation

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.  And because you belong to Him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. – Romans 8:1-2 NLT

Condemnation is a curious thing.  It can be extremely damaging to ourselves and others.  I find that I am very self-condemning and I also see this in my son.  Julie and I found that there were times when he had done something wrong and we didn’t know about it, but we could tell by his demeanor.  He had self-condemned himself, yet he wasn’t willing to tell us what he did.  The only remedy was to get him to tell us or discover what it was.  In the meantime, our son was a completely miserable person, which I am actually grateful for.  This means he has a conscious.  Once any kind of punishment was done for his action, he would immediately return to the normal happy son we were used to having. 

The difficulty now is teaching him (or trying to guide when he lets us) to recognize when he is self-condemning and to seek a remedy.  Confront a person to make a wrong a right; do whatever it is you were supposed to do; ask for forgiveness for not doing what you were supposed to do; ask forgiveness for what you did; seek to do what is right; find a way to modify your behavior so you don’t do whatever you did do; etc.  The remedy might be different for each situation, but recognizing that you are a miserable person inside because you have some unresolved conflict within you is very important.  Refusing to do this can remove years of joy.  This may not mean you don’t have happy times, but it means you won’t live in them to the fullest as you could have because a person living with unresolved conflict will unconsciously believe they don’t deserve those good times.  Therefore, they can’t live completely into them.

This is ultimately solved in faith.  When I ask God to forgive my sins, all of them, do I really believe they are forgiven?  If not, then why do I ask - I need to find my sin resolvement elsewhere or I need to abolish my moral conscious of right and wrong.  The difficulty is that we remember our sin even if God does not.

“Jesus Himself has already paid the price for your sins, so stop condemning yourself! Today, when you look into the mirror, what do you see? Do you see yourself trapped in all your failings, mistakes, and sins? Or do you see what God sees? My dear friend, when God sees you today, He sees Jesus. Use your eyes of faith and believe that as Jesus is, so are you. In God’s eyes, you are righteous, you are favored, you are blessed, and you are healed. You are freed from all sin, all pangs of guilt, all forms of condemnation, and every bondage of addiction!”  ― Joseph Prince

It is essential to our well-being to accept in faith that God removes our sin when we ask.  We admit to ourselves our sin – yes, I did that – then we ask forgiveness with a heart that doesn’t want to do it – please God forgive me – then we accept His promise.  To do less is to deny that Jesus was the Son of God and that He died, was buried, and was resurrected.  Anytime we refuse to accept God’s forgiveness we proclaim that God does not love us.  … Yes, it’s that serious.  …  Accepting this gift of the life and death of Christ is the foundation of our faith.  Refusing to accept His forgiveness is refusing to believe in Jesus.

Lord, I pray today that I would accept your free gift of forgiveness for all my sins.  Lord, help me to accept Your power of grace in my life to remove those sins from me forever.  Deliver me out of self-condemnation so that I might love myself as much as You do, and so I can love others as much as You do.  Through Jesus alone I pray, Amen.

Let Me Be Singing

A portion of the lyrics from the song 10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman.  I heard the song twice today.  I have to admit to being somewhat depressed or down since Saturday.  I’m not sure why, except to say it happens.  I guess we’re all human and the ride is a roller-coaster, up and down.  According to the grandmother in one of Julie’s favorite movies, Parenthood, the roller-coaster is the best ride.  The merry-go-round just does the same thing over and over, but the roller-coaster is thrilling.  At least, that’s the advice of a grandmother on a movie.

I find one of the greatest challenges is to find God at such times.  Although I know He promises He will never leave me, never forsake me, and never stops loving me, it is very hard to reverse that cloud that seems to hang over your mind and emotion.  I also know the Bible says to thank God for such times.  So, I tried to thank God for it.  I do know that if it weren’t for valleys, the mountaintops wouldn’t be so grand.  And once you got to the mountaintops, the valleys wouldn’t be so beautiful if they weren’t there.  It takes one to appreciate the other.

And so, having heard Mr. Redman’s song twice, I singled out that one stanza.  “It’s time to sing His song again, whatever may pass and whatever lies before me, let me be singing when the evening comes.”  May I be singing this evening and tomorrow morning.

I am also reminded of something I heard another preacher say, “The Lord didn’t bring you this far to leave you now.”  The only way we are capable of leaving God is if we choose to leave Him.  The Bible insures us that if we are looking for God, we’ll find Him. 

I pray today that I would be found singing the praises of God.  Mindful and conscious of the many blessings in my life and grateful for life itself.  I pray that God will find me looking for Him, that my hand will be outstretched reaching for His.  I pray that He has a purpose for me, even me, today and in all my days and that I am willing to follow Him in it.  May the praise of the God of glory be forever in my heart. Amen.  

Happiness Habit: Let It Go

Just wanted to re-post this devotion from Rick Warren today.  It is HERE or you can read it below.  If you have time, read some of the comments below it, particularly the long one from a woman in Uganda and the follow-up comments of support for her.

Happiness requires letting go and learning to forget. Worry won’t change the past, so forget what can’t be changed and focus on the future.

Philippians 3:13-14 says, “I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us” (NLT).

You only have a limited amount of energy. That’s why you get tired. That’s why you get fatigued. That’s why you get worn out.

Since you only have a limited supply of energy, I highly recommend you not waste any of it on the past. Every day, choose to focus your energy on what is in front of you and what lies ahead.

This habit is so important to your happiness, there are three traps you have to be aware of.

The trap of regret. You’ve got to let go of regrets. Are there things I wish I had done differently in life? Of course. But I can’t dwell on them because I can’t change them. Don’t waste any emotion on regrets.

The trap of resentment. Holding on to resentment doesn’t hurt anybody but you. Let it go! For your own sake, you must forgive. Do they deserve it? No. But do you deserve forgiveness from God? No. Those who experience grace are gracious.

The trap of tradition. Everything is constantly changing, and you cannot stop it. You have to decide whether to resist and resent those changes or to be happy. Happiness is a choice.

How you handle change in life reveals your spiritual maturity. When you’re guided by and anchored to eternity, change can take place all around you and you can choose to be happy.

It's Not About Me

"Let us go on... and become mature in our understanding, as strong Christians ought to be." – Hebrews 6:1

Last night, Julie and I were in conversation with a parent of a 16-year old.  She told us a story of how she was riding in the car with her daughter driving with her permit.  Someone in a car ahead of them threw out a cigarette butt slightly in their direction.  (Which I believe should be considered littering and fined.  If you’ve ever tried to pick up trash on a portion of the highway, you quickly realize there are too many cigarette butts to pick up.)  Her daughter exclaimed to her asking if she saw that person throw that trash at her.  Her daughter thought that person specifically threw it out at her on purpose.

We all laughed because we all know that is ludicrous.  No person in the car adjacent to you cares about you in any way except in how you can get out of their way.  But for her daughter, her teenage mind has this idea that she is so important that a person throwing a cigarette butt out the window remotely in her direction is doing it purposefully at her.  She should not be condemned however as most teenagers think in a like manner of extremisms.

It brings to light a topic that I believe our society pushes and it’s a trap too many fall into.  While we may gawk and gaze unbelievingly at others who embody this concept, if we look carefully into our lives we will see that there are small areas within us where we are susceptible to it.  This is, of course, the “It’s all about me” concept where our actions and attitudes reflect that we make ourselves the center of the universe to make us happy.  It’s a me-centered world.  Society pushes this very directly. It tell us in any way it can that this is your one life so go live it the way you want to so you are happy.  …  Consequences of those actions?  Well, that’s just people who are against you.  If they were for you, they’d want whatever you want to make yourself happy.

Everyone wants to be a teenager again. 

I don’t want to be a teenager again.  I want to be a wise old guy with a gentle, kind, loving spirit that only wants to help those whom I am in contact.  I’ve got a long way to go.  But in order for me to get there, those attributes of kindness, gentleness, and love are fruits of the Spirit of God within me.  So, to become whom I hope to be, I’ve got to live a God-centered life.  That means, “It’s NOT all about me.”  I want to be spiritually mature and that means doing what God says and believing that those things are what is best for me, not what I think will make me happy.

Max Lucado wrote a book by that very title, It’s Not about Me: Rescue from the Life We Thought Would Make Us Happy.  I haven’t read it, but it sounds like it addresses this head-on.  Rick Warren comments on Day 1 of the Purpose Driven Life, “It’s not about me.”  Two very prominent Christian authors and pastors recognizing this very same attack from society.  We would be wise to consider its effect on our thoughts, attitudes, and actions.

Dear Lord, show me where in my thoughts, attitudes, or actions I am all about me.  Help me to be able to find Your purpose in those areas so You are the center of everything in my life.  I pray that the fruit of Your Spirit would show to those around me.  Through Christ I pray, Amen.

Red Sea

Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.  The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” – Exodus 14:13-14

I find that statement by Moses very inspiring.  The three verses before this is the Israelites complaining with dire hysteria that they are going to die and were better off as slaves.  And Moses, fully confident and believing in the delivery of them by the Lord says this before he knows what God will do.  That is faith.  That is the kind of faith I want to carry within me at all times.  No matter what the problem or conflict is, I want to be able to say confidently that the Lord is fighting for me and if I will be still I will see the deliverance He brings me.

With that, the Lord parts the Red Sea and the Israelites walk across on dry land.  Mercy and grace are extended to the Israelites, even in their panic and unbelief.  Once across, the Lord crushes the enemies of His people with the very Red Sea He parted.

I find it not mere coincidence that the body of water parted is the Red Sea.  The Lord sent Jesus to live with the Israelites.  He extended mercy and grace to them in their unbelief.  However, this time He provided a red sea that saves those who believe in Him.  That red sea is the blood Jesus bled as He died.  Jesus is willing to substitute that death, His shed life, for all our sins and God is willing to accept it.  It is only by walking in the red sea that we are saved, not by walking on the dry land beneath it.

Jesus fought for us and all we have to do is be still and know the Lord delivered us.  We are delivered today, tomorrow and for all eternity.  Stand firm on this.  Know it confidently.  Believe as Moses did, in the midst of doubt, panic and hysteria, know that the Lord delivers you. 

I hear the Savior say,

“Thy strength indeed is small;

Child of weakness, watch and pray,

Find in Me thine all in all.”

Jesus paid it all,

All to Him I owe;

Sin had left a crimson stain,

He washed it white as snow.

Lord, help me today to walk in Your sacrifice for me.  Help me to have a full faith that I am not left alone, that You are with me at all times, every hour, every minute, every second.  You will deliver Your son today and everyday.  Thank you for saving me, a sinner.  Though the blood of Christ my redeemer I pray, Amen.

Where Are You?

After the original and first sin, God walked through the garden and to the man, “Where are you?” After the first murder, God asked Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”

We are a conniving ruthless bunch that hides, especially when confronted with our own disobedience.  The only strength we seem capable of conjuring up is to be defensive about our own disobedience and determination to do it.  Except when we are confronted with God Himself.  Everything changes when that happens. 

Adam’s response to God was weak.  He tells God why he is hiding, but immediately blames the woman.  He is, at least, talking honestly with God.  This is more than Cain does.  Cain doesn’t tell the truth.  So from Adam’s sin to Cain’s sin, man has eroded to not telling God the truth, but to being defiantly determined in his lies.  For Adam, the presence of God was enough for him to speak openly to Him.  For Cain, only the power of God caused him to plead for mercy. 

We are hardheaded.  We want our way.  We want to determine what will make us happy.  We prefer not to be disciplined and to not sacrifice.  We prefer for others to serve us.  We want to rule ourselves.  We don’t want anyone telling us what to do.  …  How very childish we are!

From the beginning, man was unable to not do the one thing God instructed him not to do.  Man has the internal spirit whose desire is to be its own authority and to not desire God above himself.  The only way to overcome that is to have a new spirit.  Fortunately, God thought about that.  How can we not be what we are?  How can we be something different?  How can we do what we know is right?  Only by allowing God’s Spirit to rule ours.  Only by submitting to what we know is right through His Word.  This is accepting God’s authority over our perceived authority (which really doesn’t exist). 

If we want to be different than Adam, then we need to be in God’s presence at all times.  We need God’s Spirit to have dominion over our mind and hand as it reasons to sin or acts to do it.  If we want to be different than Cain, then we need to beg for the grace and power of God to so change our ability to sin that we can’t do it.  We must plead for God to conquer our desires with His strength.  Adam can walk with God and be a new man; Cain must be conquered by God.

Which heart do I have today?  I pray that my heart is as Adam’s, seeking to walk with God, to simply be in His presence and all is well, for His presence to complete me.  If there is a part of my heart as Cain’s, I pray for God to crush it to dust so that it no longer exists.  May there be no part within me that offends the presence of Almighty God.  Amen.

Glorious Sunrise

For His anger lasts only a moment,
    but His favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,
    but rejoicing comes in the morning. – Psalm 30:5

I have been committed in conversations with Julie that we are not going to live this year depressed.  We are not going to let the nagging, constantly drag-us-down, family of mine ruin our days.  We will not allow their actions or inactions determine our fullness of heart and steal our joy.  It is time to cut those strings and let it float away.  God will bring it together correctly if and when decisions are made to put Him first and that is out of our hands and cannot be forced.

I remind her and myself, we are following God.  We have put His precepts first, even when the world told us to do otherwise.  We have dedicated ourselves to believing His way is the right way no matter how badly we mess it up.  Because we are following in faith, His goodness makes us good.  We are not evil and we do not seek to hurt others in any way.  We only want others to know God is real and alive like we do.

It is a shame that we have to remind ourselves of this about ourselves, but if we don’t, I find I get depressed.  I find I start second-guessing and wondering if I’m just completely out-of-my-mind.  The mind game wears us down and we start to crumble sometimes. 

C.H. Spurgeon wrote, “Be patient! The Husbandman waits until He reaps His harvest.  Be patient; for you know who has said, 'Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give to every man according as his work shall be.'"

David’s assurance here is encouraging.  “God’s favor lasts a lifetime.”  What a wonderful characteristic of God.  He doesn’t leave us; He is always there and He wants what is best for us, forever!  And although we may have been in times of sorrow from pain, it is only for a brief season.  The rejoicing from the arrival of God’s glory that is with us always comes fresh and anew as a sunrise. 

Again, Spurgeon wrote, “Let us go on boldly; if the night be never so dark, the morning cometh, which is more than they can say who are shut up in the darkness of hell.  Do you know what it is thus to live on the future - to live on expectation - to antedate heaven?  Happy believer, to have so sure, so comforting a hope.  It may be all dark now, but it will soon be light; it may be all trial now, but it will soon be all happiness.” 

We am looking anxiously for that sunrise.  Our hearts are about to explode with anticipation and our eyes are searching earnestly.  Oh God, come and fill our hearts to overflowing!  Give us the grace and power to persevere to that glorious morning!

Clean Hands & Pure Heart

³ Who may climb the mountain of the Lord?
    Who may stand in His holy place?
⁴ Only those whose hands and hearts are pure,
    who do not worship idols
    and never tell lies.
⁵ They will receive the Lord’s blessing
    and have a right relationship with God their savior. – Psalm 24:3-5

My hands and my heart are not pure.  Never have been.  If I am left to myself, I will corrupt myself and everyone around me.  It is distressing to know how painfully evil I am.  I will never be allowed to stand with God. … Except that God knew this before He even made me.  He knew I would not rule over my heart to only follow Him in all things from my birth.  So He loved me enough to send His Son Jesus to live and to live that perfect life that I cannot.  Yet Jesus was requested by God to die so that I might not die in relationship with Him.  Because of that and my belief in it as reality, my hands and my heart are seen by God as pure and I may stand in His holy place.

The Christian band Mercy Me sings the song “Give Us Clean Hands” and it is written around these verses.

We bow our Hearts
We bend our knees
Oh Spirit come make us humble
We turn our eyes from evil things
Oh Lord we cast down our idols

So give us clean hands
Give us pure hearts
Let us not lift our souls to another
…
And God let us be
A generation that seeks
That seeks your face
Oh God of Jacob

My thoughts this morning are on the devotion I read for today from Billy Graham.  Unfortunately, my thoughts are also on those who tirelessly pretend, who purposely do not see, and who consciously refuse the truth.  I am weary from those who tell lies to others and themselves so often that they believe them.  They lift themselves up with no concern for those who do not idol them.  I pray for my heart to only want for them to hear God clearly and to not want to destroy them.  I do pray earnestly now, however, for God to destroy their lingering connections to me so they will no longer disturb my walk with Him.  May any person against me be against God.

I pray this morning that the desires of my heart are the desires of God; that His Spirit would rule over it.  I pray this morning that the thoughts in my mind would be the thoughts of God; that His Spirit would rule over them.  Do not let me fall into worship over anything but You my Lord.  "Create in me a pure heart, O God" (Ps 51:10).  Guide me so I do not desire anything for anyone else except what You desire for them.  Help me to not seek anything over others.  Lord, deliver Your servant from those who seek to tear down and to destroy, who worship idols and don’t follow Your voice.  Bind them so that they will see clearly, even if they don’t want to, that You are the One true living God and You and You alone stand over Your children and bless them and protect them.  I pray that everyone will clearly see that You are my God and Savior and You are the One true living God and there is no other!  Amen.