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“And there came a lion.”(1 Sam. 17:34 KJV)

Sneaking. Craftily.

Slithering through the underbrush, like a fat snake.

Gingerly touching his paws to the tall, dry grasses.

His movements, almost imperceptible, as if in extreme slow motion. So as not to make his prey aware of his presence.

Eying his victim. Poised to pounce.

A magnificent creature, which lion considers a delectable morsel for his lunch, stands nearby, unsuspecting. Leisurely nibbling on grass and sipping from the stream, satisfying its cravings. Neglectful to its surroundings, distracted from being vigilant.

Unfortunately, its inattention prompted its demise.

There was another lion; his name was Clarence. You may remember him, if you’re old enough. His eyes were crossed. Because of this, he relied on humans for his survival, which made him a friendly and safe lion. He was definitely a big pussycat!

He “acted” in several movies, one being Clarence, the Cross-Eyed Lion, and in TV programs like Daktari. When he got past his prime, he became even more docile; in fact, he was playful as a kitten and loved people.

I once heard a story about him. When he was no longer needed, some people adopted him and took him into their home. One night when the owners were out, a burglar broke into the house. But as he was about to leave, Clarence wandered in.

He knocked the man down and sat on his chest, wanting to be friends and play. However, the man didn’t know this and was scared stiff. Literally! He couldn’t move a muscle.

When the owners arrived home, they found Clarence still sitting on the man, who was now white as a sheet. After calling the police, the owners told the man that Clarence would not have eaten him. He didn’t have any teeth!

Unfortunately, there is yet another lion. One the Bible tells us about. He isn’t friendly and he isn’t safe like Clarence. He has a full set of teeth, like the first lion above, one that prowls around, “looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8 NLT)

This lion is sneaky. Crafty. Gingerly tiptoeing around. He slithers through the world, like a fat snake. He eyes his prey, his victims. Ready to pounce at any moment.

We are his prey, his delectable lunch. This lion comes...

* to steal our joy, our praise, the word of God out of our hearts.
* to kill our faith, our confidence, our trust in the Lord.
* to destroy our fellowship with Jesus.

Sometimes, we disregard living a holy life. Satisfying our worldly cravings blinds us to fulfilling our true needs, our spiritual needs. Busyness sidetracks us, distracting us from being vigilant to more important things. Trials can sideswipe us, knocking us off God’s path.

When we allow these things to happen, we will either draw closer to God or pull away from Him. If we pull away, we will neglect our time with the Lord and His Word. We will lack the supply of all we need to function properly each day and the enemy’s tactics will be to our defeat.

You can take away that ol’ lions teeth and silence his growl. Because of your position in Christ, your righteousness in God, you possess the confidence and boldness to stand up to that assassin.

What did Jesus tell the seventy disciples? “Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy.” (Luke 10:19 NLT)

You have the same privilege. You can use the Name of Jesus and His authority to stand against your opponent. Keep in mind: he’s already a defeated foe!

The Bible tells us...

* “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8 NKJV)
* “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7 NIV)
* “Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.” (1 Peter 5:9 NLT)
* “Leave no [such] room or foothold for the devil [give no opportunity to him].” (Eph. 4:27 Amp)

Just remember: The hollowness of hell’s hunger hankers to be filled with God’s delectable morsels – His children. If you hear its stomach growl, watch out!

Therefore, stay alert! That ol’ enemy of yours is prowling after you. Don’t let the lion knock you down, sit on your chest, and growl in your face!

Give him your best growl back!



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Reflections of His Grace

Are children abducted near you or even in your town for sex trafficking? Don’t think it just happens somewhere over in Southeast Asia. It happens everywhere. Here’s a link to check a map reposted by Human Trafficking (read their post) with documented cases within the U.S. The map is created and maintained by the Not For Sale Campaign, founded by David Batstone (more following).

I know I have written on this topic before, but I wanted to make you aware of it. Again. Because it is a very serious, worldwide problem.

January 11 is National Human Trafficking Day and the whole month of January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month.

A large part of trafficking is sexual slavery. I can hardly bring myself to write this. My heart breaks with pain and my eyes flow with tears. I force myself to type this. These children are raped repeatedly, more than 30 times a day, just for profit. Just for someone’s twisted pleasure. Now, my stomach turns. One report says that the younger the children, the better for the trafficker. That means even under the age of six.

Human trafficking is the #2 fastest growing crime in the U.S. with 50% of the victims being children. The average age of those forced into sexual exploitation is 12-13 years old.

While statistics are hard to pin down, as no one really knows the exact numbers and each site lists different figures, it is estimated that trafficking amasses $7 billion dollars annually.

Two men found this ugly truth existing right in their hometown of Atlanta. Their search led them into the secret world of America’s modern slave trade and to a global undercover operation to rescue victims.

The two men, Dillon Burroughs and Charles Powell, wrote a book about it. Not in My Town: Exposing and Ending Human Trafficking and Modern-Day Slavery tells the story and provides many resources for those who care to stop the injustice. Together, these two men have founded Mercy Movement.

New Hope Digital has a great article entitled Ideas and Resources to Join the Fight Against Modern Slavery. It lists ideas of how we, John Q. Public, can help. One I especially like: buy free-trade products, which are 100% free of slave labor.

Another who is fighting this atrocity is David Batstone, of the site Not for Sale, and lives in the San Francisco area. One day, he read an article about one of his favorite Indian restaurants, which had been “trafficking women from India to wash dishes, cook meals and other tasks.”

David says, “This was happening in my country at a restaurant I frequented. My shock turned into a consuming passion that took me around the world to learn more about how slavery flourishes in the shadows...And I knew I had to do something. The Not for Sale Campaign combines technology, intellectual capital, abolitionist groups and a growing network of individuals like yourself – joined together to end slavery in our lifetime.”

A cyber-friend who also fights doggedly for this cause is Diana Scimone of Born2Fly. She has written a wonderful wordless book, so no translations are necessary, for children called Born to Fly which I told you about last month, in the article A Child is Born. The book helps at-risk children, “to educate kids, parents, and teachers about the dangers of child trafficking—with the ultimate goal of ending it,” says Diana.

A sister site to Born2fly is The Butterfly Project, which markets jewelry made by women and girls rescued from trafficking. Why not stop by and *like*
The Butterfly Project on Facebook? Better yet, support them with a purchase. I know you’ll be glad you did. You can contact Jané at gautieronfire@gmail.com and follow her on Twitter as @SireneduMississ.

Another cyber friend, Kathi Macias, an award-winning author of over 30 books and several ghost-written ones, has also joined in this fight by writing what critics call a superb novel on the subject. Deliver Me from Evil shines the light on this horrific injustice to humankind. She has been interviewed on the radio and speaks on the topic.

Gary Haughen, the founder of International Justice Mission, has written the book Good News About Injustice.

He says on his site, “International Justice Mission is a human rights agency that brings rescue to victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. IJM lawyers, investigators and aftercare professionals work with local officials to secure immediate victim rescue and aftercare, to prosecute perpetrators and to ensure that public justice systems - police, courts and laws - effectively protect the poor.”

The National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC), a program of Polaris Project, is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that has set up a national, toll-free hotline that answers calls in the U.S. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year.

So many wonderful people lending a hand in whatever way they can to combat this atrocious crime that I couldn’t possibly get it all in this post. I know I have left out many worthy people.

Oh, my sweet friends, what will you do? Please, please do something! Even if it is only to pray.

~Lord, bring rescuers into the lives of these unfortunate ones who are at the mercy of wretched traffickers. Both the victims and the miscreants...Deliver them from evil!

~~A big thank you to Tony Marino of Alive in Christ Radio LIVE program for mentioning the awareness day last night on his program.

What tests your spiritual endurance?

*finances?
*lack of a job?
*no insurance?
*home foreclosure?
*your spouse’s affair?
*a child with an addiction?
*a husband hooked on porn?
*death of a child or other loved one?
*the twisted knife in your back from your best friend?

On occasion, many of these strike at once causing chaos to overwhelm us. Our eyes spill over with the tears of heartache. Discouragement sets in.

What do we do? Have a pity party? Get in a nasty mood? Throw a fit? Camp out with a negative attitude? Stomp around yelling at everyone?

What happens to our hope? To our faith? To our spiritual endurance?

David wrote, “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise Him again - my Savior and my God!” (Ps. 42:5 NLT)

Who comes to mind as a biblical victor, a spiritual endurer? James wrote, “For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.” (James 5:10-11 NLT)

I love reading Hebrews 11, the faith chapter. Listed are the names of all those who persevered from Abel to Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and all the rest…by faith, by faith, by faith. They held to the backside of the cross, having the faith to see what was yet to be. They had no anchor of hope in Christ as we do.

And they all endured!

Our faith walk should be like Abraham’s, for he knew God kept His promises, “He drew strength from his faith, and, while giving the glory to God, remained absolutely convinced that God was able to implement His own promise.” (Rom. 4:21 Phillips)

Paul also said of Abraham, “No unbelief or distrust made him waver (doubtingly question) concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God.” (Rom. 4:20 Amp) His words of praise strengthened his faith, connecting Him to God’s power.

And what of Paul? Didn’t he endure horrendous afflictions?

He said, “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but not crushed and broken. We are perplexed because we don’t know why things happen as they do, but we don’t give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going.” (2 Cor. 4:8-9TLB)

What is your attitude as you endure your trials? Do you hide in the cellar of doubt and worry or hang out in the attic of praise and gratitude? Do you give up or rest in the power of God? Are you a spiritual victim or victor?

Does Jesus say to you, as He did to Peter when he began to be overwhelmed by the waves, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matt. 14:31b NKJV) Or does He say to you as He did to the woman that came to Him on behalf of her demon-possessed daughter, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire”? (Matt. 15:28 NKJV)

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” (Heb. 12:1-2a NKJV)

As you look to the Lord in your time of trouble, may He complete and perfect your faith that you may be a spiritual victor.