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| ISIS on the move in Iraq |
How do you stop an enemy who has no regard for human life? How do you defeat an enemy who isn't afraid to die? How do you appease an enemy who has sworn to drive you off the face of the earth?
It's time to face the truth about Islamic terror groups like ISIS, Boko Haram, Al Qaeda and others. They are an out of control, scary bunch with little regard for human life, not even their own. And that's what makes them so dangerous. Not since Hitler has the world seen an adversary quite this diabolical. The shear brutality of these Islamic terror groups defies human comprehension as we see innocent victims beheaded, women and children abducted, raped and murdered, suicide bombers committing mass killings and execution style murders of whole communities — proving that they will stop at nothing.
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| A man beheaded by ISIS |
It's pretty clear that Islamic terror groups are determined to wipe their enemies off the face of the earth. They envision a new world order where their brand of Islam will reign supreme, and where to survive, others must submit or be killed. It's what these Islamic terror groups believe, and what they have sworn with unwavering allegiance to achieve. The question is do we dare sit by and watch or do we take action?
President Obama and other world leaders are mistaken to think that Islamic terror groups can be defeated by conventional warfare and weapons, like drone strikes, airstrikes and military force, as happened recently in Paris and Belgium. In all of history, I can think of no other enemy quite like the Islamic terror groups, not even Japan's suicide kamikaze fighters can compare. You hit them hard and the Islamic terror groups just keep coming. So, what's the answer you ask?
Ever think of praying? This suggestion is not directed at skeptics who never pray, but rather to those believers who do. God's people have a vital role to play in this conflict, and that is to pray for our enemies so that God will intervene in their lives and ours. In his article, "The hardest prayer: why it's time to #prayforISIS," writer Carey Lodge suggests three practical ways to pray for ISIS and the other Islamic terror groups:
1. If you want to pray that they would all perish, instead try praying for justice.
It's so easy to wish that every militant would be killed, leaving the Iraqi people free to rebuild their lives. But rather than pray for their deaths, perhaps instead ask for God's will and justice to be done, trusting that his understanding is greater than ours.
2. If your instinct is to pray for military success, pray instead for peace.
Pope Francis himself has suggested that military action against ISIS could be justified, but rather than focusing our prayer on further violence, petition instead for peace, reconciliation and stability.
3. Rather than only praying for Christians to be saved, pray also that members of ISIS would turn to God.
How incredible it would be for radical Muslims to see the witness of the Iraqi Church, the testimony of persecuted Christians and encounter the living person of Jesus. Nothing is impossible [with God].
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| Women gather in church |
By no means are we limited to these prayers only, but pray we must as individuals, as congregations and as nations. What a shift in the atmosphere it would be if world leaders at the U.S. led Summit on Violent Extremism would pray. Prayer is a proven game changer and the most powerful weapon in the hands of a believer. As recorded in scripture, many David verses Goliath type victories have been won through prayer. And there are enough praying Christians in the world today to defeat any weapon that Islamic terror groups may try to amass against us.
You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your friends, hate your enemies.’ But now I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may become the children of your Father in heaven. For he makes his sun to shine on bad and good people alike, and gives rain to those who do good and to those who do evil. Matthew 5:43-45
"The kingdom of heaven is like what happened when a farmer scattered good seed in a field. But while everyone was sleeping, an enemy came and scattered weed seeds in the field and then left...[The farmer's] servants then asked, 'Do you want us to go out and pull up the weeds?' 'No!' he answered. 'You might also pull up the wheat. Leave the weeds alone until harvest time. Then I’ll tell my workers to gather the weeds and tie them up and burn them. But I’ll have them store the wheat in my barn.'” - Matt 13:23-30 CEV (Emphasis added)
Barring Slavery and the Civil War, no other issue in American life has so divided these United States, torn apart our social, political and religious fabric, and splintered families like the issue of gay marriage. And no matter what the U.S.Supreme Court decides in July, the controversy over gay marriage is unlikely to go back into the closet. Welcomed or not, gay marriage advocates have fought hard for a seat at America's table, and they're not likely to give it up anytime soon. To the naysayers, the message is clear "deal with it." And actually, that might not be bad advice.
For Christians, the concern is that the battle for gay marriage is becoming more of a distraction because of the cause celebre it has become. It seems Christians are spending more time becoming entangled in the affairs of this world than in doing the Lord's work. Where in the Bible does it say that Jesus, or his disciples or the early Church leaders spent their time protesting and debating the social and political issues of the day? What the Bible does say, is that Jesus and his disciples went about preaching the Gospel, healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and doing good works.
This is not to say that Christians today should bury their head in the sand and remain silent in the face of this world's growing moral turpitude. There are issues like poverty, crime, illiteracy, and homelessness where Christian involvement is needed to help those at risk. But Christians must not become sidetracked by issues or neglect the call to spread the Gospel and win souls to Christ. Jesus always kept the mission in sight despite many distractions and much opposition. His number one priority was always to complete the mission.
Likewise, Christians, who follow Christ, must do as God's Word says. Commenting in Decision Magazine recently, J.C.Watts, a former U.S. Congressman and a pastor, said, "If you're a believer, your first allegiance is to the Word of God, and God expects you first of all to defend His Word. He also expects that even if you disagree with someone's sexual preference, you will still love them and treat them with human dignity."
Ideally, Christians around the world should be examples of God's love in action. If we do our part, God will do His part. It's God who judges sin, not us. God sees no difference between telling a lie and committing a homosexual act. Both are a sin and will receive the same judgement from God. Christians have a responsibility to tell sinners how their sins can be forgiven, and not just that they deserve to go to Hell. If we do our part, God will take care of all the rest. Wait and see.
Update: In the U.S., 12 states and the District of Columbia have legalized gay marriage.
