Even If i Walk Alone

Instructing and encouraging you to live your life as a disciple of Jesus

commitment

International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted (IDOP)

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International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted (IDOP)

This past Sunday, many churches across the world took part in the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted, or IDOP for short. Some American churches postponed for a week because of the election (I do not understand such reasoning, but the fact remains), and some churches across the globe are marking the day on November 15th.  This means for the first three Sundays of the month in which this post is first published, there will be focused and corporate prayer for our persecuted brothers and sisters. I urge you to join in.

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If you, like me, enjoy the freedom to express your beliefs where you live, it’s difficult to understand what our fellow Christians endure daily. We cannot make too much of this issue. While we worship in freedom, millions of Christians are enduring unimaginable persecution because they are steadfast in affirming Jesus as their Lord.

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Love Your Neighbor

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Most of us are familiar with the greatest commandment: love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:28-30). And while I think we are aware of the second greatest commandment, “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31), it seems we give that one more lip service. I’m not sure that’s ever more obvious than during a Presidential election season.

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I see a lot of evidence that many forget their allegiance is to Jesus and not to a political party. It manifests in the words we say to each other. To love your neighbor as yourself means to love them even if they support opposing political ideals or candidates than you do. Loving those who agree with us is easy. Discipleship is hard.

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Total Dependence

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Have you ever prayed a prayer that immediately scared you? When I ask God to help me live in total dependence on Him, I get a little nervous. I am desperate to live my life in total dependence on Him. I don’t want to be independent and self-sufficient any longer. It’s an illusion, anyway. We aren’t self-sufficient. Jesus gives us the very breath we breathe each moment. We don’t create it, and we couldn’t if we tried.

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Everything we do is because our Creator has given us the ability to do it. Without Him, we could do nothing. The reality is we already live in a state of total dependence, but we spend our lives in a state of denial. We convince ourselves that we are the rulers of our destiny when nothing could be further from the truth. It’s all lies brought to us by the father of lies himself.

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Doubt

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Never let the devil convince you that you are less than who God says you are. You are created in the image of God, designed to be holy and in perfect union with your Father in Heaven (John 17:21). Never doubt that fact. In the beginning, God created men and women in His image (Genesis 1:27). Yet we constantly see ourselves as lacking what we need to succeed or enjoy life.

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Satan plants thoughts in our minds like we aren’t attractive enough, smart enough, skinny enough, talented enough, wealthy enough, and on it goes. Before believing any of those lies, recognize that as an image-bearer of God, you are more than enough. You have all the talent and resources needed to become the person God created you to be.

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Distracted by Jesus

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What if we were so focused on the mission of Christ that we could only be distracted by Jesus Himself? We live in a world designed to distract, and few of us are very good at resisting the siren call of a pleasant distraction. It’s always easier to do the more comfortable things than the difficult. Living as a disciple of Jesus will never be easy. If it is, you probably aren’t living for Him.

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Jesus promised us we would have trouble in this world (John 16:33). We often think in terms of persecution or being mocked when we read that verse, but distraction wreaks havoc in our lives and causes all sorts of trouble. Nothing will knock you off course faster than a distraction, and distractions are the killer of all dreams. No one can be on mission and distracted at the same time.

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