Month: March 2022

News Of The Day – March 31st

Israel Suffers Three Deadly Attacks In One Week

Five people were shot dead by a Palestinian gunman near Tel Aviv on Tuesday, Israeli police said, marking the third such attack in Israel within a week. The attack started in the city of Bnei Brak, just east of Tel Aviv. A police spokesperson said a preliminary investigation found that at least one assailant used an assault rifle against civilians in several locations before being killed by local police forces. The death toll from Tuesday’s attack brings the number of people killed in such attacks in the last week to 11. Read more about the attacks here.

 

Defense Attorneys For Megachurch Pastor Charged With Sex Crimes Says Evidence Was Fabricated

Megachurch pastor Naason Joaquin Garcia, who is accused of multiple sex crimes, says prosecutors have fabricated evidence in his case. n a motion filed on March 15, defense attorney Alan Jackson and his team argued that the case against Garcia is based on false evidence. The California Attorney General’s Office alleges that Garcia, pastor at La Luz Del Mundo, groomed and raped teenage girls from his congregation. He was arrested in the summer of 2019 and charged with human trafficking, production of child pornography, forcible rape of a minor and other felonies committed between 2015 and 2019. Read more about the motion here.

 

University Of Washington Sparks Outrage After Freezer Full Of Aborted Baby Parts Exposed

The University of Washington School of Medicine is reportedly keeping aborted human fetuses and organs in rows of labeled boxes and paper bags in a walk-in freezer. The grim discovery was made earlier this month by the Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising, a left-wing organization, alongside members of several other anti-abortion groups that located the freezer at the university’s Birth Defects Research Laboratory. The activists found the freezer by following a paper trail of invoices that recorded the purchase of various fetal body parts by universities and research labs across the country. Read more about the discovery here.

 

Ukrainian-American Pastor Kidnapped By Russians Is Released

A Ukrainian-American pastor who was recently kidnapped from his home by Russian forces has been released, his family confirmed. Pastor Dmitry Bodyu of Word of Life Church in Melitopol was taken by about 8 to 10 Russian troops on the morning of March 19. On Monday, however, his wife, Helen Bodyu, announced that he had been sent free and returned home. “Dear friends! Thank you all so much for your prayers!!! Dmitry is home. He’s doing well, wrote Helen on Facebook. Thank you for your participation, for your concern, help and love! God is good!!! Praise the Lord!” Read more about his release here.

 

 

March 31st – Luke 6:12

Luke 6:12

Jesus was a very real person like you and me, experiencing every temptation that we too face in our lives. And just as Jesus often went off by Himself to pray to the Father, so should we. Praying as Colossians 4:2 tells us, with an attitude of thanksgiving. Many times Jesus left the disciplines to be alone in secret with God. Because spending one on one time with the Father was vital. And it’s just as vital for us. Because prayer is a powerful weapon against the Enemy, we should be praying often throughout our day. Always looking for opportunities to pray and to be bold in those prayers. Pray according to His will and it will be done. And remember, that sometimes our prayer requests are a long time in coming but don’t give up. Because in His perfect timing, God will answer!

Blessings, Lyn

March 30th – 1 John 1:9

1 John 1:9

If we’re honest, there isn’t a single day that we can say “I’m good enough”. We may be born again Christians and sin no longer has reign over our souls, but we still fight with the flesh daily. The apostle Paul, who called himself “chief of sinners”, knew this battle well. In Romans 7:22-23 he says, “For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.” 

God doesn’t want sin to have a hold on us, and longs for us to be free of its crippling grasp. The Bible devotes much to the topic to make us aware of its toxic effects. God doesn’t want us to cover up and hide our sin, but rather expose and uproot it. Because unconfessed and unrepentant sin festers under the surface. It spreads like cancer, destroying us from deep within. And it hinders our relationship with God, keeping us from being able to glorify Him.

We may be sinners, but we have forgiveness and atonement for our sin through the blood of Christ. And because we have confidence in that forgiveness, we can be free. Free to ask God to shine the spotlight into the deepest, darkest recesses of our being. And to expose and cleanse any unrecognized or unrelinquished sin. Because even if we fool other people or even ourselves, God knows our true motives and agendas.

What a privilege it is to be able to go to God in prayer and confess our sin. To share with Him our struggle, and to ask for victory. And as we surrender to the process of being shaped into the image of Christ, we will be renewed, strengthened, and refreshed!

Blessings, Becky

News Of The Day – March 29th

Florida Governor Signs Parental Rights In Education Bill

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed the “Parental Rights in Education” bill into law Monday, prohibiting classroom discussion or instruction on sexual orientation and identity in kindergarten to third grade or in older grades in “a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate.” The law also states that parents must be notified about health care services offered at the school, with the right to decline any service offered, and that parents must give permission before a questionnaire or health screening is given to young students. Read more about the law here.

 

3000 Year Old Tablet With God’s Name And Warnings Discovered

A new discovery from Israel involving an ancient tablet could be one of the most significant archaeological finds in modern history. The tablet was discovered at the site of Mt. Ebel, and its  text is being called centuries older than any known Hebrew inscription from ancient Israel. A lab in Prague scanned the tablet. The text reads, “Cursed, cursed, cursed – cursed by the God YHW. You will die cursed. Cursed you will surely die. Cursed by YHW – cursed, cursed, cursed.” the tablet dates to the late Bronze period, which ran from 3300 B.C. to 1200 B.C. That means it would be roughly 3,000 years old. Read more about the discovery here.

 

Utah Becomes 12th State To Prohibit Biological Males from Playing In Female Sports

Utah became the 12th state to prohibit biological males from playing on female sports teams when its legislature on Friday overrode the governor’s veto of the bill. Governor Cox of Utah, was the second governor this week to veto legislation focused on transgender participation in sports. Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb also vetoed a bill banning transgender athletes from choosing their own sports teams, saying he found no evidence of unfairness. Utah’s bill prohibits “a student of the male sex from competing against another school on a team designated for female students.” The legislation defines “sex” as the “biological, physical condition of being male or female, determined by an individual’s genetics and anatomy at birth.” Read more about the bill here.

 

Terrorists Kill Christians And Abduct Others Including Priest In Nigeria

Fulani herdsmen on Thursday (March 24) killed Christians and abducted others including a Catholic priest in attacks on communities in an area of Kaduna state, Nigeria, area sources said. In late-night attacks on 10 predominantly Christian communities of Giwa County, herdsmen and others also took about 100 people captive and burned down a church building, area residents said. “They also burned houses, stores and killed animals,” resident Nuhu Musa told Morning Star News by text message. “These attacks continued and lasted up to the morning of Friday, 25 March. They didn’t allow even the dead bodies to be buried, as they shot at mourners and those who returned to the villages to conduct funerals for those killed.” Read more about the attack here. 

 

Holocaust Survivors Reunite In Florida After Almost 80 Years

Jack Waksal and Sam Ron spent more than a year together in the Pionki forced labor camp in Poland during the Holocaust. After the war, neither man knew if the other had survived. Fast forward 79 years when Waksal recognized Ron at a benefit event for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The two started catching up on each other’s stories. Waksal had escaped the camp and survived six months in the forest in winter. Ron was moved to another camp and then American liberators saved him from a Nazi death march. Just teenagers at the time of their imprisonment, the two managed to both immigrate to the United States, specifically to Ohio, where they both lived for 40 years unaware of each other’s existence before eventually moving to South Florida. Read more about their reunion here.

 

 

 

 

March 29th – Romans 8:26

Romans 8:26 

Isn’t it comforting to know that God’s Spirit takes the deepest prayers of our hearts and not only beautifies them, but perfects them? And He promises to answer them in the way that is in our best interest? Just think for a moment how deeply we are loved. How God longs for sweet fellowship with us and to bless us in spite of ourselves. But why? Why has God provided all we need to help us when we can’t even find the words to pray?

The reason is because God wants to show us the riches of the glory of His grace. The Holy Spirit creates those deep groanings and then carries them to the Father. Our Father who not only hears, but performs what the Spirit asks, ultimately bringing God the glory. When we are battle worn and weary. When we don’t know how to pray, or at a complete lost for words, He knows!

The One who searches our hearts and knows our thoughts before one is ever spoken, stands ready to intercede on our behalf. And we can trust that God will bring about the circumstances which magnify Christ in the best way and bless us as well. What an awesome God! Full of grace and mercy, He has planned for even our times of weakness and loves us far more than even we could ever comprehend!

Blessings, Sue

March 28th – Ephesians 6:18

Ephesians 6:18

After telling Christians about each piece of the armor of God, Paul adds on another crucial part of our uniform. Prayer. And although it’s not something we wear, without it, winning any war is impossible. Why? Because prayer is our lifeline to the power of God. And as our great Commander, the instructions we receive through prayer can mean the difference success and failure.

To be a victorious prayer warrior, Paul goes on to give us, the soldiers of God, practical applications when praying. First he tells us to pray in the Spirit. Praying in the Spirit isn’t about the words we say. Instead it means praying according to the prompting and leading of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit then carries those petitions to our Heavenly Father and lays them at His feet. But praying in the Spirit can only happen when we have a close, personal, relationship with God.

Next Paul tells us to stay alert. Being alert includes being sober minded and watchful. (1 Peter 5:8) For the Enemy’s attacks are never ending, and his deviousness knows no bounds. But nothing stops Satan faster in his tracks then when we drop to our knees in prayer. So just like soldiers who keep their guns at the ready, we are to be ready at a moments notice to go to God with all perseverance in constant and fervent prayer.

Paul ends by telling us the the importance of praying for the needs of other believers. I once read that as prayer warriors, we are spiritual weapons in God’s mighty hand. I love that! That means we have the honor and great privilege of being part of God’s master plan. And when we pray for others, we become important, intricate, parts of seeing that plan come to fruition. Both in the world, and in the lives of other Christians.

March 27th – 2 Chronicles 7:14

2 Chronicles 7:14

With all the troubles filling the world, it’s easy to see why people today feel helpless and hopeless. But Christian’s can still have hearts of optimism. For God says that if His people humble themselves, pray, and seek His face, restoration will happen. Humility means surrender. Surrendering our hearts and minds to God’s perfect will, including confessing and repenting from our sins. Next comes prayer. No matter the circumstance, our first response should always be prayer. In all things we need to be pleading for ourselves, each other, and our leaders. Finally we must seek God’s face. The Hebrew word for “face” is often translated as “presence”. And to seek His presence means wanting to know God intimately. If we, God’s people, truly want to see a change in the world, we must as one body follow these guidelines.

March 26th – James 1:6

James 1:6

We all face times of trial and tribulation. And God allows these times into our lives to strengthen both our faith, and obedience. Struggles also remind us how impossible it is to navigate life on our own. But thankfully, we never have to face anything alone. That’s why James tells us to pray for godly wisdom to see us through. But the apostle then goes on to say that when we pray, we need to do so without doubting. Because without faith, we will be tossed around whichever way the wind blows. And instead of being filled with God’s wisdom, peace, and goodness, we will be carried away by a sea filled with false teaching, temptation, and fear. We serve a loving, generous, God who loves nothing more than to answer the prayers of His children. Children who stand rooted in the faith that He will see them through!

All The World Is Not A Stage – Matthew 6

In Matthew chapters 5-7, Jesus delivers His most famous sermon of all, The Sermon on the Mount. In it He instructs us how to live a life that is both dedicated and pleasing to God. And in chapter 6, Christ makes very clear the importance of doing the right things for the right reasons. Saying, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.” (v. 6:1)

March 25th – Mark 1:35

Mark 1:35

Everyone needs a little me time. Time away from everyone and everything. Jesus was no different. Everywhere He went people swarmed Him. And so to refresh and reflect, Jesus turned to God in prayer. Many times throughout the gospel, before preparing to take on God’s calling, Jesus slipped away for some valuable one on one time with the Father. And we should do the same. For we cannot answer God’s call if we have nothing left to give. Which is why it’s so important that we too, recharge our batteries. And we do that by spending time with our Heavenly Father. Through prayer, His Word, and God’s still small voice, we have all the strength and energy we need to accomplish God’s will. For like Dr. Charles Stanley says, “We can be tired, weary, and emotionally distraught. But after spending time alone with God, we find He injects into our bodies, energy, power, and strength!”