Even if it Costs Our Lives 9-22-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. As I wait upon You, align me with Your will and empower me for Your purposes. … “The the Spirit of God took possession of Zechariah, son of the priest Jehoiada; he stood above the priest and said to them, ‘Thus says God: Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, He has also forsaken you.’ But they conspired against him, and by command of the king, they stoned him to death in the court of the house of the Lord” (2 Chronicles 24:20-21). Zechariah was brave and bold, faithful to the Word of God and obedient to the Spirit of God. He didn’t hold back from speaking the words that burned in his heart and burdened his soul, as Your Holy Spirit took possession of his human spirit. But he was speaking the truth to the leaders of his nation who had turned their backs on God and turned to worship the idols they had created with their own hands for their own purposes. And there were suffering the consequences for their actions that affected all the people of their land (v. 24:18). Yet even then, You kept sending Your prophets and sending Your word to turn their hearts back to You, so that they could enter again into the place of Your blessings and fulfill Your purposes for their nation. But “they would not listen” (v. 24:19). And Zehcariah’s political incorrectness and spiritual independence in faithful obedience they would not abide. So they stoned him to death to silence his voice. They did the same to Stephen (Acts 7:59). They did the same to Paul (Acts 14:19). And they’ll do the same to the two witnesses of God at the end of this age who will boldly proclaim the truth in the face of the unrighteous government that will rule the nations of the earth (Revelation 11:7). They did the same to Your faithful witnesses just as they did the same to You, mocking the words of Your truth and nailing Your hands to the cross. The pride of man cannot abide the Word of God and the rulers of this world cannot bear to bow their knees to the will of God. Yet You keep loving us enough to keep sending Your Spirit and sending Your Word. You love us enough to keep allowing us to suffer the consequences of our actions to lead us to humble our hearts and bow our knees and trust in Your ways. You want us to prosper and fulfill our purpose for our generation. So whether we’re the ones You’ve sent to speak or whether we’re the ones You’ve called to hear, let us turn away from the idols of our own creation and turn our hearts back to You. Let us be brave and bold to speak the truth of Your Word and live in the power of Your Spirit—even if it costs us our lives. As You said long ago in warning every generation of the high cost of our discipleship in the face of whatever persecutions many come: “A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciples to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of His household?” (Matthew 10:24-25) So let us not fear, but let us be found faithful to You, our teacher and master, in all the power of Your grace You’ll be faithful to supply. Let us be bold and brave to keep bowing our knees and lifting our hearts to You alone. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep us in prayer in preparation for my time of ministry in Wales with Heather Butler and our team at gatherings we'll lead all across the country during our Encounter Wales revival campaign during the month of October. If you'd like to be on our interactive intercessory prayer team, please let me know and I'll get you on our email prayer team list. Thank you and God bless you! Subscribe for free by email to me at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!