…   I said to them, “Don’t be afraid of the enemy!
     Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious,
     and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters,
     your wives, and your homes!”   Nehemiah 4:14 

Do you enjoy keeping up on what is going on in the world?  I do, at least until recently.  Recently, I am left feeling overwhelmed, and telling myself that only God can fix what is going wrong.  No human being, or group of humans, is powerful enough, wise enough, and fearless enough to stand up against the violence, corruption, and inhumanity.  Apparently, nothing can be done to reign in the poverty and starvation, the cruelty and war, let alone the earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, fires and floods.

So, what do we do?  When Nehemiah showed up to lead the people of Jerusalem, they were convinced there was no hope for their city.  The walls were broken down, and when they had tried to rebuild, their enemies returned to wreak havoc on them. 

When we feel hopeless, it’s natural to stop resisting.  So, we, like the people in Jerusalem, stop fighting for the very people and things we hold most dear.  Eventually, the hole we are in appears to grow deeper.  We believe the lies the enemy daily shouts at us.  Why even try?  

But God sent the remnant of Jerusalem a gifted emissary in Nehemiah who carried the God-given vision of what their city could become.  Nehemiah called them together and convinced them that they could rebuild the walls.  Only they needed to stay together and fight for their families and neighbors and resist the bullying, lies and threats of their enemies.

How does this apply to us?  We can’t win this battle against darkness alone.  But with God, we can.  In his Word, God has given us a vision of what he sees as possible.  In his Son, Jesus Christ, our heavenly Father sent us a godly charismatic leader.  Partnering with Jesus, we have the authority and power of the Holy Spirit.  On the Cross, Jesus has already won the war.

Our weapons are spiritually designed to demoralize and vanquish evil at every level. (2 Corinthians 10:4) If we stand firm together against the darkness, and use our prayers of faith, we can send our enemies running.  Through the ancient words of Nehemiah, Jesus is telling us, “Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!”  Together let’s raise our voices in prayer.  We were created for this time.  With Christ, we can win our battles and bring glory to God.

Dear friends, be blessed as you hear God calling you to prayer.  May your hearts overflow with the Lord’s love for your family, friends and nation.  May you be fill with joy and renewed courage as you see prayers answered. Believe and be encouraged that God can and will use you to bring his will from Heaven to earth.  Rejoice!  Amen.
Mary Sumner ~ August 5, 2025

   “14 So you must live as God’s obedient children.
… You didn’t know any better then. 15 But now you must be holy
in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy.
16 For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”
1 Peter 1:14,15,16 NLT

When we read in God’s Word that we must be holy, it’s easy to think that we never could be.  But both the Old Testament and the New Testament have clear statements that we be holy.  And the Lord would never ask us to be something that he knew was impossible.

The word holiness indicates separation from all that is sinful, impure or morally imperfect.  We are declared holy, set apart for God, once we are saved and cleansed in the blood of Jesus Christ.  At that moment, when the Holy Spirit comes to live in us, we become the temple of God.  From then on, it is not a question of becoming holy, but staying holy.

Most children look and act like their parents, so we can know to which parents they belong.  The children don’t have to work hard to look like their parents.  In a similar way, by simply hanging out with Jesus and his Word, and living our lives receiving his love and obeying him, we start to become like him. The world should recognize that we are set apart, that we belong to him.

As adopted children of God, our gratitude and love motivates us to desire to please and obey him.  So, we choose to keep our spiritual eyes focused on Jesus, becoming more like him.  Jesus, our Savior and Lord, is holy, so we choose to become set apart for him.  We choose to be holy.

Dear friends, may you believe that you are chosen and set apart for God.  May the Holy Spirit stir in your hearts the very desires of the Father and give you the power to become increasingly more like Jesus.  May you be filled with his love and joy as you choose to obey him and bring him glory.  Amen.

Mary Sumner ~ July 11, 2025