He Gave Us ALL A Choice!

"O God, if only you would destroy the wicked!  Get out of my life, you murderers!  They blaspheme you; your enemies misuse your name.  O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you?  Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you?  Yes, I hate them with total hatred, for your enemies are my enemies."  Psalm 139:19-22 NLT (Part 4 in a series on Psalm 139)

Dear Reader, have you ever felt this way?  King David has seen enough evil and knows that his God's name is being taken in vain.  David hates this so much that he hates those who are his enemies.  He asks God to destroy them, to rid the world of them and their evil. 

We live in a world that is ripe with hatred and evil.  I was so upset with the terrorists who took those two reporters and beheaded them a few years ago.  I hated them even more because they wore black masks to hide their faces.  Like King David, I asked God to please destroy them and the world would be a better place.  I pleaded that they hated our God, that they hated anyone who was Christian.  I felt I was praying in line with David's prayer.

Then God spoke to me.  He said five words, "Deirdre, Paul was a terrorist."  When Paul was still Saul, his goal in life was to kill off all the Christians he could--men, women, and children.  It was at his feet that the accusers laid their cloaks as the Apostle Stephen was being stoned.  Saul was a witness, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen. 

Jesus revealed Himself to Saul and His brilliance blinded Saul for three days.  God sent Ananias to lay his hands on him and say, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”  Saul became Paul, and preached the Gospel to Jews and Gentiles alike.  He suffered greatly for Christ, and authored about 2/3 of the New Testament.

God reminded me that vengeance was His, as was the victory.  He reminded me that as long as anyone--terrorist, celebrity, politician, your lost child, or the guy down the street--was still breathing, they still had a chance to confess Jesus as Lord of their life and receive salvation. 

So, dear Reader, no matter how bad the world may look, there is always the possibility of change. So pray hard for those who don't know the Lord, those whose lives are worldly and full of sin, those who do terrible things, that they may come to know the Lord Jesus!  Can you imagine the terrorist who comes to Christ?  For him to learn the truth and then to secretly share it with others?  God can change anyone in to a Paul!  Jesus told us to pray for our enemies.  Now is a good time to start.  Go in peace, my friends, and know that you are doing the Lord's work!  goo.gl/TFGwth