Egypt and Lebanon

Egypt's capital is up in flames  in political, bloody riots against the thirty-year reign of President Mubarak.

Lebanon's government has been overturned in a coup d'etat by the terrorist group, Hezbollah.

Tunisia and Yemen are both dealing with riots this month as well.

The Arab world is in terror.

All of this on the news this week and this morning. The newscasters voices' are tense and ominous when reporting the violence on the streets of Cairo...the video footage horrendous. The State Department says it is "monitoring this situation", and are gravely concerned, considering that Egypt is "our strongest ally in the Arab world," and the first Arab world to "make peace" with Israel.

And yet none of it is a surprise.

"And I will stir up Egyptians against Egyptians, and they will fight, each against each other and each against his neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom;and the spirit of the Egyptians within them will be emptied out...The LORD has mingled in her a spirit of confusion, and they will make Egypt stagger in all her deeds as a drunken man staggers..." Isaiah 19:2-3, 14

"Ah, stubborn children," declares the LORD, "who carry out a plan, but not mine, who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin; who set out to go down to Egypt without asking for my direction, to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!...Egypt's help is worthless and empty; therefore I have called her, 'Rahab who sits still.'" Isaiah 30:1-3,7

"Behold! You are trusting in Egypt, that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh, king of Egypt to all who trust him!" Isaiah 36:6

"The land mourns and languishes; Lebanon is confounded and withers away..." Isaiah 33:9

"He will cut down the thickets of the forest with an axe, and Lebanon will fall by the Majestic One." Isaiah 10:34

 Please join me in prayer for our brothers and sisters in Christ scattered throughout the Middle East, who are caught in the middle of this spiritual and political strife. May they be strengthened to be Salt and Light of Christ. May they be protected by His shield; and reminded of His promises of a beautiful future.

"Is it not yet a very little while until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest." Isaiah 29:17

"In that day, there will be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the LORD at it's border. It will be a sign and a witness to the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt. When they cry to the LORD because of oppressors, He will send them a Savior and a Defender and deliver them. And the LORD will make Himself known to the Egyptians, and the Egyptians will know the LORD in that day...In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria [Iraq], and Assyria will come into Egypt...In that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the Earth, whom the LORD of hosts has blessed saying, 'Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.'" Isaiah 19:19-21;23-24

"I will whistle for them and gather them in, for I have redeemed them, and they shall be as many as before. Though I scattered them among the nations, yet in far countries they shall remember me, and with their children they shall live and return. I will bring them home from the land of Egypt, and gather them from Assyria and I will bring them to the land of Gilead and Lebanon, till there is no room for them...I will make them strong in the LORD, and they shall walk in His name," declares the LORD." Zechariah 10:8-10;12

The LORD Sovereign is in control. All will be well.

F-A-N-A-T-I-C

I'm a F-A-N-A-T-I-C, Fanatic
I rep Christ till I D-I-E, Fanatic
I'm not extreme, I'm redeemed with faith
To serve a God who's extremely great
I'm a Fanatic
The world's trying to tidy up, exfoliate their skin
but only Christ can come and exfoliate their sin
And their fate look grim, If they don't take Him
As the high priest He is to mediate their sin
The world's got to many gods, man we choose the One
From Hebrews, He rules, He bruised His son
He moves the sun
So if we prayin and our schools call us fools
Cuz our God's too true to shun
Channels two in one
Man, it looks insane
TV make a lot Christians seem dramatically strange
Though we may be looked upon as one and same
We will not turn in shame, we proclaim the name
Christ Jesus, believe us, you ain't gotta receive us
But we gonna follow our God wherever the Bible lead us
And you can call us dramatic, fanatic, emphatic
But hate while you at it, take a look at our mathematics

I am a F-A-N-A-T-I-C, Fanatic
I rep Christ till I D-I-E, Fanatic
I'm not extreme, I'm redeemed with Faith
To serve a God who's extremely great
I'm a Fanatic
What can I do to make it simple, make it plain
Christ came, emptied Himself and let out sin hang Him
You couldn't blame Him for any sin
While they singing many men
The crucifixion was pretty grim
But when we state the fact that God resurrects
We get funny looks from a world that doesn't get
We are not David Koresh or Krishna
Or the people on TV who glorifying their bishop
From Edwards to Piper, MacAurther to Spurgeon
From Dallas to France, From Cali to Berlin
As Christians all over who getting the Word in
We ain't crazy we just understand the Truth and we burdened
The world sees us as evangelical Christians
As narrow-minded fanatics with a mythical mission
Labeled extremists for sharing out faith
But that's cool, we can carry the weight of persecution
Cuz earth is losing
And if we yelling the truth
We honored to be the people that our God is using
So keep it moving
Cuz if we yelling the truth
We honored to be the people that our God is using

I am a F-A-N-A-T-I-C, Fanatic
I rep Christ till I D-I-E, Fanatic
I'm not extreme, I'm redeemed with Faith
To serve a God who's exrememly great
I'm a Fanatic
They thought Jesus was out of His mind
They laughed and mocked Him
Called Him a cult leader and they tried to stop Him
Pharisees said Christ got His power from Satan
Hating, on the very One that came to save 'em
Even after He rose, man the world ain't changed
They still rejecting the name, still look at us strange
Still tell us without shame that our faith's insane
and, "it don't take all that to be a Christian, man"
And it's hard when you tryin to reach your family and stuff
They say man, "you too spiritual, you doing to much"
So we show them the love of Christ and live in the Light
So they can glorify our God when they look at our life
And we win for sharing the truth and hearts get changed
We win if we're rejected because of His name
We win if seeds get planted and watered and grow
But even if we lost, we still be Fanatical though

I am a F-A-N-A-T-I-C, Fanatic
I rep Christ till I D-I-E, Fanatic
I'm not extreme, I'm redeemed with Faith
To serve a God who's extremely great
I'm a Fanatic

- Lecrae

For Troubled Hearts

"For troubles hearts we pray.

The grievousness of war

Has driven JOY away,

And sun, and moon, and star.

Console the sore distressed,

The wounded bound in pain,

The broken, for whom rest

May never be again.

Like bells at evening time

Let words of healing come,

Till, led by that clear chime,

They find themselves at Home."

- Amy Carmichael

An inexplicable uneasiness throws a shadow across my mind and spirit today - and has been growing stronger. Different burdens I received this past week, from different revelations of how the Enemy is at work within the Church, and among so-called Christians, planted this dark seed - which has quickly bloomed. Reminders of unconfessed sin are forefront on my heart, but a dark pain threatens from another source...and I wonder what it means. What is the Enemy about? What is this the eve of? Who is in the thick of spiritual battle out there, and it desperate for allies in prayer? Why the resistance in me at the thought of prayer? What are all these lessons and information I have learned this week building to? What will the Great Vanquisher accomplish through this and how can I give Him the glory?

Will you join me in prayer?

"Do not be grieved, for the JOY of the LORD is your STRENGTH." Nehemiah 8:10b

"Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you, when my HEART is faint. Lead me to the ROCK THAT IS HIGHER THAN I." Psalm 61:1-2

"REJOICE ALWAYS, PRAY WITHOUT CEASING, give THANKS in ALL circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus FOR YOU." I Thessalonians 5:16-18

"Finally, be STRONG in the LORD and the POWER OF HIS MIGHT." Ephesians 6:10

"May you be STRENGTHENED with ALL POWER, according to His GLORIOUS MIGHT, with ALL endurance, and patience with JOY, giving THANKS to the Father, who has qualified YOU to share in the INHERITANCE OF THE SAINTS IN LIGHT. He has DELIVERED us from the domain of Darkness and TRANSFERRED us to the Kingdom of His Beloved Son, in whom we have REDEMPTION, THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS." Colossians 1:11-14