Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics of Crowder singing his song with Tauren Wells … All My Hope … poignantly singing of how we all are forgiven and freed by the blood of Jesus.
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Highlight Verse[s]: 2Corinthians 1:10-11 [NLT] … 10 And He [The Lord] did rescue us from mortal danger, and He will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us. 11 And you are helping us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety.
… Paul shows Christians (us) why it’s important to pray for the persecuted church.
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Highlight Passage [context]: 2Corinthians 1:8-11 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul thanks fellow Christians for their prayers when he and companions were persecuted.
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Reference Passage : … Luke 4:18-19 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus, quoting from Isaiah’s prophesy (Is. 61:1-2), declares why He came to earth … to free the oppressed from their own sin.
Reference Passage : … Hebrews 13:3 [NIV] … 3 Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies.
… God exhorts us to pray for others as if we were praying for ourselves in chains.
Reference Passage : … 1Peter 5:7 [NIV] … 7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.
… Since we serve a caring God, we need to take our concerns for others to Him.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Poh Fang Chia, uses story of persecuted Christians to remind us of our obligation to pray for those in chains for their faith. The ODB author wrote … The day started out like any other, but it ended as a nightmare. Esther (not her real name) and several hundred women were kidnapped from their boarding school by a religious militant group. A month later all were released—except for Esther who refused to deny Christ. As my friend and I read about her and others who are being persecuted for their faith, our hearts were moved. We wanted to do something. But what?
Every day, around the world, there are Christians who are persecuted - even martyred - for their faith. And persecution of Christians - and other faiths - is becoming more wide spread in our so-called free country as well. So, … what do we do?
Well, Jesus, Himself, reminded those of His day why He came to walk amongst them and even die for them; and that is to free us from the shackles of sin (see Luke 4:18-19); and the Apostles Paul and Peter reminded fellow Christians, … and us too, … that we should pray for those who are being persecuted in Christ’s Name (see reference Scriptures), … just as if we are the ones being persecuted.
Because, my fellow believer, it is highly likely that we are going to be a part of the persecuted Church very soon ourselves. So, … let’s pray, pray, pray for our persecuted brothers/sisters in Christ.
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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for coming to save us from the shackles of our sin.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me, to pray diligently for the persecuted believers around the world.. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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