A Royal Priesthood: Preparing to Serve

I'm working my way through Leviticus right now. Lately, morning reading has been full of ritual sacrifices and offerings. Today, I read about the ordination of the priests. 

Preparing the priests for service was a lengthy process, and filled with symbolism. 

The ordination began as Moses washed Aaron and his sons with water, then dressed them in the garments of the priesthood. He used anointing oil to anoint Aaron and his sons. A series of sacrifices came next. At the end of all the sacrifices, Aaron and his sons were to remain in the tabernacle, night and day, for seven days.

The process is so foreign to our modern worship that we can easily miss the symbolism, but it's beautiful. 

The water washed away the dirt of this world, but water alone can never adequately deal with our sin problem. That requires the shedding of blood.

Admittedly, this next part is the Leanna interpretation, but the truth in this passage astounds me. 

The washing with water symbolizes the best effort of man to deal with sin. The priests were robed in priestly garments, but nothing we "put on" can ever deal with our sin. 

The good stuff came next. The God-work. 

Moses anointed them with the special anointing oil, symbolizing the Holy Spirit, for it is the Spirit of God that brings conviction of sin. 

Unless we understand our own depravity, our own sin problem, we will never submit ourselves to God for cleansing. 

A series of sacrifices came next. Every type of sacrifice was offered because the priests needed to understand that they were not exempt. Their sin had to be forgiven first 

before they could minister as God intended. 

The sin sacrifice was followed by a time apart. Seven nights and days in the tabernacle emphasizes the importance of time spent with God.

How is this pertinent to us today? Because Peter wrote that we, as disciples of Christ, are a kind of royal priesthood. Our job is to proclaim the excellencies of the One who called us out of darkness. We can't do the work of proclamation if we have not dealt with our sin problem.

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,

a people for God's own possession, 

so that you may proclaim the excellencies 

of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;" 

1 Peter 2:9 nasb

As disciples, our responsibility is to share the good news of our Lord, the amazing truth that He has bought us with His blood and delivered us from the darkness of sin. We cannot do that if we are not equipped by the cleansing of the blood of Jesus, the power of the Holy Spirit, and time spent with our Lord.

We can't tell what we don't know. 

Moses, Aaron, and Aaron's son were a living tableau of the work of Christ. It is that same work of cleansing and filling that we must undergo, but there is more. The priests were not ready to serve when their sins were forgiven. Their preparation for service required time apart in the tabernacle, where God dwelt. 

We, too, will only be fully prepared to serve our Lord by time spent with Him.

Are we content with what God has already done in Jesus, or committed to the ongoing work of time spent with Him?

 Our preparation for service will never be complete unless we spent quiet time with our Heavenly Father. Don't miss it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In case you missed one of the past week's posts, here are the links:  When Hard Times Come: Pressing On, Friday Night with Friends: Sara Foust, Hand Washing and Heart Cleansing, The Wonder Dogs Run In Circles, Cutting Edge Prayer: The Power of Fasting,  Changing the World: The Example of Kid President, and The View from the Inversion Table: When Christ Upends Your Life.

#aroyalpriesthood #preparingtoserve #linesfromleanna #leannalindseyhollis

The View from the Inversion Table: When Christ Upends Our Lives

When I developed sciatica, my friend, Jan, had the perfect solution. "Come hang on our inversion table. It will make you feel so much better. You'll love it."

I was far too busy to stop and hang upside down. 

I knew how to treat sciatica. I took a Medrol dose pack, anti-inflammatories, and stopped lifting. I went to bed for two days. I had this under control. I'd be good as new soon. 

I wasn't.

Jan repeatedly offered a "hanging". "It will help you."

Finally, a day came when Jan caught me as I dragged my leg and tried to hide my tears. "Come on. You're going to my house. You need to hang upside down. It will help you so much."

I went.

She was right. I'm still surprised that the inversion table helped my back, hip, and leg pain to such a degree. Incredible.

As I dangled upside down, I pondered how odd it was to find relief by turning myself upside down. Then, I remembered how Jesus invaded my life and turned everything upside down.

Before my "upside down" encounter with Christ, I was a determined, me-focused woman. My priorities weren't right. My heart wasn't right. 

It was a little like spiritual sciatica. The hurt was unrelenting and there was nothing that would help.

When someone said, "What you need is Jesus," I resisted. 

I thought I already had Jesus. "No. You don't need to know about Jesus. You know plenty. What you need is to encounter Jesus and let Him turn your heart around." I was plenty tired of my spiritual sciatica, so I gave in. 

Jesus turned my heart around and changed my life completely. In a good way, he turned me upside down. He shuffled my priorities. Changed how I spent money. Changed what I thought, and said, and did. 

It was much needed, but I didn't know it until I allowed Him to do what must be done. Forgive me. Cleanse me. Heal me. Change me.

Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; 

and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 

I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes,

 and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. 

Ezekiel 36:26-27 nasb

The heart of flesh changed everything. There was a hymn we sang when I was a child that said, "What a wonderful change in my heart has been wrought since Jesus came into my heart."* That's exactly how it was.

Only Jesus can make that kind of change, but He will do it for all who come to Him.

Are you tired of spiritual sciatica? Maybe what you need is not knowing more about Jesus. Maybe you need a fresh encounter with the Holy One. 

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 

Psalm 51:10 nasb

~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Lyrics by R. McDaniel and Music by C. Gabriel, 1914

In case you missed one of the past week's posts, here are the links: Changing the World: What One Man (Or Woman) Can do, When Hard Times Come: Pressing On, Friday Night with Friends: Sara Foust, Hand Washing and Heart Cleansing, The Wonder Dogs Run In Circles, Cutting Edge Prayer: The Power of Fasting, and Changing the World: The Example of Kid President
#Viewfromtheinversiontable #whenChristupendsourlives #leannahollis #linesfromleanna

Changing the World: The Example of Kid President

Robby Novak is a 12-year old boy from Henderson, Tennessee, better known as Kid President. He's been acting as Kid President ever since he and his brother-in-law made their first home video in 2012 and posted it on YouTube. Their family believes that kids can change the world, that we all can change the world, and they are doing it. 

They're right.

We can change the world. If we will. 

It's a very Jesus kind of concept. The Great Commission presumes that we, the disciples of Christ, will do that very thing. 

Make a difference. 

Tell people about Jesus. 

Don't stop until the job is done.

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20 nasb

Robby and his brother-in-law, Brad, have made dozens of videos with more than 30 million views. That's right. A child touched the world millions of times. How? He and his family made an effort. They did something positive and people embraced it. 

What you might not realize from the videos is that Robby has Osteogenesis Imperfecta, also known as "Brittle Bone Disease". He's had more than seventy fractured bones in his young life, but it hasn't stopped him. 

One of the Kid President quotes I like is:

"Life is school and you gotta show up. We're all teachers and we're all students. Teachers keep teaching. Students keep studenting. No matter who you are, someone's learning from you." Kid President

You've probably heard the quote, "You may be the only Bible some people ever read." It's true. Someone is learning from you today.

Life is short. We have a limited number of days on this earth. We can spend them in many ways. We can glorify ourselves and our desires with those days, or we can use them to glorify God and make a difference in the world. We can't do both.

So, what will it be? Someone is learning from you today. What lesson are you teaching?

~~~~~~

PS - Robby is currently hospitalized after surgery to replace a rod in his leg. He and his family would appreciate your prayers today. 

Want to know more about Kid President? Here's the link to a great article from Christian Chronicle.

~~~~~~~~

photo from Wikipedia

In case you missed one of the past week's posts, here are the links: Morning Quiet Time: Who Speaks First, Changing the World: What One Man (Or Woman) Can do, When Hard Times Come: Pressing On, Friday Night with Friends: Sara Foust, Hand Washing and Heart Cleansing, The Wonder Dogs Run In Circles, and Cutting Edge Prayer: The Power of Fasting

#KidPresident #Changingtheworld #LinesfromLeanna

Cutting Edge Prayer: The Power of Fasting

I haven't written about Lent this season, but it's on my mind. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter. The Upper Room describes Lent as "a season of the Christian Year where Christians focus on simple living, prayer, and fasting in order to grow closer to God."

Sweets, breads, and meats are foods that are often "given up" during the Lenten season, but this is not a holy weight loss plan. 

Lent is a dedicated time of repentance of sin and restoration of a right relationship with God. It's a time for examining priorities and rearranging our lives to bring honor to God.

It's easy to think of a Lenten fast as merely a time of discipline, but fasting is so much more. My friend, Aletha Hinthorn, wrote about the importance of fasting in her daily email today. It was so well said that I'm including a portion of it today. 

* * *

"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds" (2 Cor. 10:4 NKJV). 

"One of those weapons God gives is fasting combined with fervent prayer. 

Prayer aligned with fasting puts a "cutting edge" to our prayer lives because it indicates an intense desire for God.

The moment we approach Jesus, the first thing he gauges is our desire. Denying ourselves food makes a powerful statement. He knows that if we omit food and pray, we are in earnest." 

"The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much" (James 5:16).

"While fasting, you will be treading on holy ground, accomplishing far more than you know. 

Satan is terrified and will object! He will seek to convince you that nothing is being done. Ignore his lies and continue as you planned. Despite hunger, headaches, the "blahs," more tension at home, extra busyness, difficulty in focusing on prayer, know that your self-denial will be rewarded."

* * *

"When you fast...your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you" (Matt. 6:16, 18)."

Even if we don't participate in the entire forty days of the Lenten season, a period of prayer and fasting will not be in vain. As we pray, let's focus on more than ourselves and our families. Let's spend focused time praying for our nation and the body of Christ. 

Times are hard and likely to grow more difficult. The best preparation begins with prayer and fasting.

-----------

In case you missed one of the past week's posts, here are the links: Nothing is Impossible: Ayman al-Zawahiri,  Morning Quiet Time: Who Speaks First, Changing the World: What One Man (Or Woman) Can do, When Hard Times Come: Pressing On, Friday Night with Friends: Sara Foust, Hand Washing and Heart Cleansing, and The Wonder Dogs Run In Circles.

#lent #prayerandfasting #fasting #disciple #repentance #JesusChrist

The Wonder Dogs Run in Circles: The Search for God

Maggie The Wonder Dog and Mamie, her Wonder Puppy Apprentice, look calm and sweet in this picture. Looks can be deceiving. Last night, they had a little trouble getting settled.

It was already dark, but not yet bedtime. I was working downstairs and not ready to go up. Maggie and Mamie started running in circles around me. 

"Do you need to go out?"

They ran toward the kitchen, and I followed. Before they reached the door, they turned around and ran the other way. They didn't need to go out, after all.

"Do you want to play?"

They stopped for a moment, and I assumed that meant yes. When I sailed one of their toys through the air for a game of fetch, no one moved. They didn't want to play, either.

They ran around me again, then headed toward the stairs. Finally. They wanted to go to bed. I headed up the stairs. They waited at the foot of the stairs, looking at me as if I was crazy. They didn't want to go to bed.

On and on it went. Finally, they gave up on me and went upstairs. I followed and put them both on the foot of the bed where they usually sleep. They're tired, I thought. I was wrong.

By the time I got downstairs, both dogs were barking like crazy. Maggie can jump off the bed, but it's too high for Mamie. I went back upstairs and got them both down. 

They didn't want to go downstairs. They didn't want to be upstairs. They didn't want to play, go outside, get a treat, or snuggle in my lap. I had no idea what they wanted. 

At last, I finished what I was doing and headed to bed, two disgruntled dogs following behind. When I hoisted them onto the bed again and climbed under the covers, they snuggled next to me and went sound asleep.

They didn't want anything but me.

We humans are so much like those little dogs. We run around and around, searching for satisfaction in many ways. Possessions. Big bank accounts. Fame. Children. Success. Travel. Pleasure. No matter how long we search, nor how enthusiastically we try, none of those will give us the deep, lasting satisfaction we crave. 

We don't realize it, but all we want is God. It is in Christ alone that we will find all that we desire. Peace. Satisfaction. Joy. Hope. 

Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician and philosopher, wrote about this search.

"What else does this craving, and this helplessness, proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God himself." (Pensees, New York, Penguin Books, 1966)

In Athens, the Apostle Paul spoke of this search for meaning.

"He made them... that they should seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, thought he is not far from each of us; for in Him we live and move and exist..." 

(Acts 17:26, 27 nasb)

They're both right. We were created to seek something to fill the void that is left by sin. Only God can fill that gnawing hole, and we will never be content until we fill our hearts with Him and His love.

Today, let's take our eyes off everything but Christ, our Cornerstone, in whom we are built together into a dwelling place for God. (Ephesians 2:22)

Our search for meaning begins and ends in Christ alone. Let's stop searching and look to Him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In case you missed one of the past week's posts, here are the links: Jumping to Conclusions: The Terrorists That Were Not, Nothing is Impossible: Ayman al-Zawahiri,  Morning Quiet Time: Who Speaks First, Changing the World: What One Man (Or Woman) Can do, When Hard Times Come: Pressing On, Friday Night with Friends: Sara Foust, and Hand Washing and Heart Cleansing.

#WonderDogs #search #Cornerstone #disciple #JesusChrist

Hand Washing and Heart Cleansing

She was four decades my junior and, in many ways, just finding her way, but, for a brief time, we were prayer partners. We longed to see God move, to see Him change hearts and lives in tangible ways, so we agreed to meet before worship services and pray. 

I, who have spoken about prayer and fasting numerous times, expected to teach her about prayer. Instead, she taught me a very important lesson.

The first time we met, she washed her hands before we prayed.

Her hands had not become soiled between her house and the church. The hand washing had nothing to do with dirty hands. It was about a dirty heart. Her symbolic cleansing made sense to me. I washed my hands, too, and, as we washed, we asked God to cleanse our hearts.

It's a principle as old as the tabernacle. God instructed Moses to put the bronze laver, filled with water, between the tent of meeting and the altar. Moses, Aaron, and Aaron's sons were to wash their hands and their feet before they approached the altar as a symbol of man's need for cleansing before God.

Soap and water will never remove the stain of our sin, of course. Only the blood of Jesus can cleanse me of sin. I know that. 

The symbolic hand washing is a reminder that I go before God with no righteousness of my own. My life is stained by sin and only God can remove it. As I wash my hands, I ask Him to do just that. Cleanse and purify.

King David knew the power of God's cleansing. After his terrible debacle with Bathsheba, his sin haunted him night and day. That's what sin does. Its relentless clamor and accusations leave us exhausted and hopeless. 

David wanted peace, and he knew where to find it. He went before the Lord and begged for cleansing. 

"Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin..." 

Psalm 51:1 nasb

David knew what he wanted and he knew there was only one way to get it. God's cleansing and forgiveness.

Clean heart. Right spirit. 

When we allow God to cleanse us from our sin and wash us white as snow, we get a bonus of peace and joy.

Are we burden by the choices we've made? The sin in our lives? Do we desire peace? Allow God to create a clean heart, clean mind in us. When we do, we'll find that He has restored our joy as well.

"Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit." 

Psalm 51:12 nasb

~~~~

photo courtesy of freeimages.com

In case you missed one of the past week's posts, here are the links:  Leaving a Legacy: Choices That Last for Generations, Jumping to Conclusions: The Terrorists That Were Not, Nothing is Impossible: Ayman al-Zawahiri,  Morning Quiet Time: Who Speaks First, Changing the World: What One Man (Or Woman) Can do, When Hard Times Come: Pressing On, and Friday Night with Friends: Sara Foust.

#chronologicalBible, cleansing #cleanheart #forgiveness #disciple #JesusChrist

When Hard Times Come: Pressing On

On this date in 1994, the ice storm had already done its dastardly best. It left behind downed power lines all over this portion of our state. Since my house was off the road, and my lines only served one house, I was one of the last to have power restored.

That sad news meant I was without electricity for more than two weeks. With a toddler in diapers. Cloth diapers. No electricity meant there was no running water and no heat. 

I used oil lamps for light, continuous fires in both fireplaces for heat, and hauled water from the lake for flushing. I bought jugs of water for drinking and cooking and hauled water from a generous neighbor for bathing. We let the livestock into the lake pasture so they could get a drink.

It was a lot of work.

It was also a grand adventure and I still look back on the jambalaya in the dutch oven, simmering in the corner of the fireplace, with fond memories.

I wouldn't want to do it again, but I could if I had to, because the ice storm of 1994 trained me.

Two years ago at this time, we had a rare snow, the water to the barn froze, and I found myself hauling water again. This time for livestock.

It was a lot of work, but I'd had a harder time in 1994 and survived it. I persevered.

This week, the skies have been blue, the days have been pretty, and not a snow flake in sight. 

The aftermath of the 1994 storm seemed interminable, but it wasn't. The days of frozen water pipes in 2014 seemed interminable, but they weren't.

The Apostle Paul knew more than he wanted about hard times. He was beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, and imprisoned. He was hungry, thirsty, cold, and uncomfortable. Life after Christ was more difficult than I can imagine, but he didn't whine or complain. He didn't curse his circumstances or struggle to break free. 

Instead, Paul counted it all as a small inconvenience in comparison to the gift of Christ and praised God for the opportunity to suffer for Him. He understood one important fact.

All the hard times we face are temporary. 

When hard times come, and they will, we have several choices to make.

Will we whine and complain, or will we respond with good humor and rejoicing in our adversity?

Will we persevere or crumble under the pressure?

Will we look for a lesson to learn, a skill to gain, a witness to demonstrate in the midst of our trial?

Will we see God's hand of blessing in the midst of our hard times, or only see the difficulty?

Let's use our hard times as an opportunity to glorify God in our response. Like Paul, let's press on, persevere through, and rejoice in whatever comes our way. No matter how long.

"I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus..."  (Phil. 3:14 nasb)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Our next Friday Night with Friends guest blog will post at 6 pm TONIGHT. You don't want to miss it!

In case you missed one of the past week's posts, here are the links:  The Temperament Test and Married Oneness, Leaving a Legacy: Choices That Last for Generations, Jumping to Conclusions: The Terrorists That Were Not, Nothing is Impossible: Ayman al-Zawahiri,  Morning Quiet Time: Who Speaks First, and Changing the World: What One Man (Or Woman) Can do
#presson #hardtimes #upwardcallofGod #disciple

Changing the World: What Just One Man (Or Woman) Can Do

One of the most exciting stories in the Bible (at least to me) is the story of God's wrath after the children of Israel made the golden calf. 

You probably remember the details. Moses was on the mountain with God, getting the ten commandments, for forty days. The people had counted on Moses as their deliverer and leader. Aaron made a poor substitute.

Mankind has an inherent desire for an object of worship. While Moses was away, they remembered the gods of the Egyptians and wanted something tangible. 

"Make us a god to go before us," they told Aaron.

"Sure. Great. Take the earrings from your wives and daughters ears and bring them to me. I'll make you a great little idol." (This is the Leanna Paraphrase, as are the following "quotes".)

It's a good thing I'm not God, because I would have zapped Aaron on the spot when that stupidity came out of his mouth.

On the other hand, I'm no better than Aaron. Although I don't make idols from earrings, I am as adept as anyone at attaching a greater significance to "things" than I should.

But I digress.

God, of course, knew about the "earring idol". He was ready to destroy the people and start over, but Moses begged for them. 

"No. It will make you look bad among the surrounding peoples. They will think You couldn't deliver your people so you killed them."

God relented on destroying them, but He was still angry. He'd just delivered them from Egyptian slavery and done a flashy and fabulous miracle with the Red Sea. 

"Go ahead to the Promised Land, Moses. I'll send you an angel to help, but I'm not going in your midst."

The people did a kind of "ornament fast" and mourned the loss, but God did not relent. Moses begged for them again. 

"Don't make me go without You."

"Okay, Moses. You win. I'll go with you, but I've still had it with these people."

Moses begged one more time. "No, Lord. If Your presence doesn't go with us, don't make us go."

A miracle happened during that quiet time between God and Moses. The Lord God Almighty relented and agreed to go with the Israelites on their journey to the Promised Land.

"And the Lord said to Moses, 'I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight, and I have known you by name." Genesis 33:17 nasb)

The people who journeyed to the Promised Land didn't know it, but they enjoyed the presence of God because of one man's passion for Him.

One man's passion for God can make a difference we can't begin to imagine. 

D.L. Moody's friend, Henry Varley, once said, "The world has yet to see what God can do with and for and through and in a man who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him." Moody vowed to be that man. He went on to have an evangelistic ministry on two continents that resulted in more than one million conversions.

One ordinary man, serving an extraordinary God, can do things most of us don't dare to dream. 

I'm just an ordinary woman. You're probably ordinary, too. It's easy to discount the kind of impact we could have on the world, but our surrendered lives, in the hands of God, can be part of incredible blessings. We can impact more than just the people around us. We can impact the world for God. 

If we will.

Varley was right. The world has yet to see what God can do with and for and through and in a man or woman who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him.

By God's grace, let's commit to be that one.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Our next Friday Night with Friends guest blog will post at 6 pm this Friday night. You don't want to miss it!

In case you missed one of the past week's posts, here are the links: Friday Night with Friends: New Beginning, The Temperament Test and Married Oneness, Leaving a Legacy: Choices That Last for Generations, Jumping to Conclusions: The Terrorists That Were Not, Nothing is Impossible: Ayman al-Zawahiri, and Morning Quiet Time: Who Speaks First.
#chronologicalBible #powerofone #changetheworld #Moses #presenceofGod #passion #disciple

Nothing is Impossible: Ayman al-Zawahiri

I've had terrorists on my mind. That's partly because I'm editing my first novel and it's filled with terrorists. It might also be because I've been jumping to conclusions and seeing terrorists where there were none.

All that terrorist thinking has reminded me of the time when I selected a terrorist of the week and asked you to pray for them.  It was July 6, 2014 and our terrorist of the week was Nasir al-Wuhayshi. He was the general manager of Al Qaeda of the Arabian Peninsula and one of the most dangerous men in the world.  

His stated goal was to "destroy the cross. The bearer of the cross is America."

I use the past tense because he was killed in a drone attack in Yemen on June 12, 2015. He was 38 years old.  He left behind a legacy of death and destruction. 

I wept when he died, but not because I was sorry his reign of terror had come to an end. I wept because I had prayed for him to come to a saving knowledge of the Great I AM, but he never did. He died as he lived. A bitter and murderous man.

He had a choice and he made it, but I still grieve the lost potential of a man redeemed and transformed by the blood of Jesus. 

Stranger things have happened. Consider the Apostle Paul. 

My first terrorist for whom I prayed was Ayman al-Zawahiri.  He is Egyptian and was trained as a surgeon. He practiced medicine for a while, but now, he is a full-time terrorist. One of his wives and two of his children were killed by a U.S. bomb in Afghanistan. Their loss fueled his anger, but he was a terrorist before they died and eventually became the head of Al-Qaeda. He was instrumental in helping the ISIS expand and merge with other terrorist organizations to become ISIL. 

As a physician, one who is trained to preserve life, it is unthinkable that one of my colleagues would dedicate himself to the murderous atrocities of ISIL, but al-Zawahiri knows no bounds. 

Assassination. Kidnapping and torture. Bombings. He is responsible for the death of untold numbers of people.

Law enforcement officials around the world have tried and failed to stop him. 

Only God can bring this man to his knees. 

Only God can stop him.

Jesus said, "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." (Matthew 5:44 nasb) 

Ayman al-Zawahiri is one of those enemies for whom we are to pray and to love. With the command of Jesus in mind, I'm choosing to pray for him. I'm choosing to ask God to bring him to repentance and salvation. Whether it is through a dream or a vision or the testimony of a believer, I pray this evil man will be transformed. 

He's not the only terrorist for whom we need to pray, but he is the leader of a large group of terrorists. Imagine the impact his salvation could make. 

Praying for our enemies. As disciples, it's not optional. We have it to do. 

There's no better place to start than praying for Ayman al-Zawahiri. 

"Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, 

but with God all things are possible." 

(Matthew 19:26 niv)

____________
photo from Wikipedia

Kathy McKinsey wrote a beautiful article for Friday Night with Friends, New Beginning. If you haven't read it yet, you can click here. You can read more by Kathy at her blog. Our next Friday Night with Friends guest blog will post at 6 pm this Friday night. You don't want to miss it!

In case you missed one of the past week's posts, here are the links:  Starting Over: It's Not as Easy as It Seems, Behavior That Demonstrates Belief, Answered Prayer: The Bulletproof Vest, Bringing Good from Tragedy: Wives of Warriors Make a Difference, Friday Night with Friends: New Beginning, The Temperament Test and Married Oneness, Leaving a Legacy: Choices That Last for Generations, and Jumping to Conclusions: The Terrorists That Were Not.

#prayingforterrorists #AymanalZawahiri #loveyourenemies #disciple #JesusChrist