9/01/07 - Life Journal - Persecution of the Believer

When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed.
Revelation 6:9-11

Wow, that first sentence hits me like a bolt of lightening, "...the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained." That is practically impossible for us in the American church to comprehend. Many might say, "That's a thing of the past", but take off your blinders and look at the rest of the world. People are killed for their faith everyday in China, missionaries around the world are kidnapped and at best ransomed at worse murdered and all around the world religious freedoms are being stripped away. That last one might not seem as serious but if you take a look at Europe you can get a glimpse at our future. Europe is in what many call the Post-Christian era. The one thing, faith in Jesus Christ, that truly unites us as the human race, no, as God's children is gone! Racial strife is on the rise and Islam has taken a foothold like never before.

Liberal politics, political correctness and weak, closed mouth Christ followers are all signs that Europe's present is our future. What can I do? A little at a time I can reach my circle of influence and gradually widen that influence to everyone I have a daily relationship with. It starts with me and my walk. With that in place it will grow to my family, coworkers, friends, etc.... This is serious! If we give up we might just see persecution rise in our country. Can we handle it? Will we stay true? The goal we have to give us strength is shown to us in verse 11. We will each be given a white robe at His altar in Heaven.

Lord let me grasp the serious of the mission you have given me. It's not just a Sunday thing. Not a social club. Fill me with your wisdom to pass on to those around me.